Harry Potter and the Eight of Prophecy
by Rose-Riddle3223
Summary: 6th year at Hogwarts. new characters and romances. spoilers for OOtP.
1. In Privet Drive

It was early evening in Privet Drive and the boy called Harry Potter was staring out the window in his small bedroom when he heard the loud, screeching sound of his Aunt Petunia complaining about the loud, screeching sound his owl Hedwig was making.

"It's abnormal! It's a menace! Get that filthy bird back in its cage, this instant!" 

Harry frowned, "Sorry, Aunt; but she needs to get some exercise. Can't I please let her stay out? She'll be really quiet."

Harry really wanted Hedwig to send a letter to Ron, asking how his friend in the Order, Tonks, was recovering. She had been badly injured by Death Eaters a couple of weeks ago. Also, he needed to tell Ron that he was able to come over to his house. Harry wasn't going to let Petunia know. Petunia hated the concept of Owl Post, and if Uncle Vernon found out, Harry might have found himself in a huge fight.. Petunia's eyes narrowed, and her thin lips pursed together in a way which was never a good sign.

"You just need that fleabag owl to send letters to your…your…those abnormal people at that school of yours." Harry raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You mean my friends at Hogwarts?"

Petunia flared up. Her eyes popped slightly, and she shrieked out her beefy husband's name, still staring at Harry, as though he were a criminal. Uncle Vernon came thundering up the stairs. Petunia visibly shuddered and explained to Vernon how Harry was trying to send letters, and how rude he was to her. Vernon roared at Harry,

"Well, boy, what's this I hear about you trying to send correspondence to those freaks you associate with?"

Harry saw the hate in his aunt and uncle's eyes, and quickly decided to use that to his advantage. "I'm sorry, aunt and uncle, but I was only trying to send a letter to Ron, telling him I can leave tomorrow."

Vernon and Petunia didn't know if they should be angry because of Harry's disobedience and ungratefulness; or hopping for joy because he was leaving. They tried for a sound medium: stern indifference.

"Oh. I see," said Vernon, as Petunia walked out of the room to attend to Dudley. "You're leaving tomorrow?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, sir. They'll be arriving at 1:30 p.m. by Floo Pow- uh, I mean, the way they did two years ago. No problems this time, though: I'll make sure everything's right."

Vernon frowned deeply. 

"Fine. The sooner you're out of here the better. But don't leave us with a mess in the fireplace, don't let anyone hurt Dudley, and most of all…NO FUNNY BUSINESS!!!!!!"

With that, Vernon stomped out of the room, grumbling about human decencies, Harry, freaks, Harry, Hedwig, Harry, the Weasleys and Harry again.

Harry picked up his quill dipped it in some ink and resumed writing. It said:

__

Dear Ron,

Thanks again for inviting me to stay at your house. I can't wait to join you! If you could pick me up at around 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, it'd be great. Thanks! 

Do you know how Tonks is? I hope we can see her.

P.S. have you read the Daily Prophet? Scary stuff, huh? Poor old Tom the innkeeper, killed by You-Know-Who. It's so sad.

~Harry.

Harry tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and threw her out into the night. He said, "take this to Ron. After that, please stay at the Burrow, and I'll be there tomorrow. Bye!"

Hedwig hooted goodbye and flew off, and Harry lay down to sleep. Little did he know, he was about to have a very odd dream.

Harry was floating! He was in a huge, white, completely spherical room. There was a figure sitting in the middle, holding a scrying crystal, (a crystal ball used in divination) and had a mysterious aura around themself. Harry swooped in for a closer look, and saw that the figure was a girl around his age. She looked vaguely familiar, but her face was covered with a hood. She wore white robes with a funny symbol on the front pocket Harry couldn't make out. She appeared to be concentrating very hard on something, gazing into her crystal. Suddenly, she gasped, like she had found something she was looking for. Harry heard a scared, adult female voice saying, "No- no, anything but that!" and then a scream. 

Harry looked at the girl sitting on the circular floor, whose crystal had turned a bright, frightening, luminescent green. She started breathing heavily, gasping for air, and clapped a hand to her face with a strangled cry.

Then, she said something. Harry was listening when he realised with a jolt that her lips had not moved. She was still again, but it was as if she was still talking to someone. It sounded like she was thinking it.

__

England…arrived in England…he's killing people. Harry's in trouble.

Do you hear me, Harry? Beware, it's not safe! Sir? Sir! Come quick! Please…I have news…

Her words were echoing around the spherical room. She dropped the crystal and fainted. Harry's scar began to throb. The room became dark and disappeared. The girl's voice grew softer in Harry's head. He wanted to stay here, to hear more, but his scar was burning horribly. He just let himself drift back to reality.

When he awoke he had broken out in a sweat and let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. He had to tell Ron, first opportunity he got. 

A/N

Hmmmmm I know, I've changed the whole story to accommodate the REAL OotP.

Plz respond with changes, or if you're reading this for the first time!!!


	2. Leaving Home

Harry got up the next morning still feeling sleepy. After the weird dream he had last night, he had been unable to fall back to sleep and had just lain awake in bed for the morning to come. Harry walked over to his trunk and took out some fresh clothes. His heart rose as he contemplated that today he was going to live with the Weasleys. He felt great for a minute, and comtemplated telling Sirius. With a sad churn in his stomach, he remembered that Sirius had died a few weeks ago. It still hurt terribly. But, then, Sirius would still have wanted Harry to have fun; so he bit his lip and smiled again. For Sirius' sake, he would be happy. 

It was only 6:30 in the morning, but Harry was so excited about leaving, he hummed as he walked down the stairs and, since there was nothing better to do, went outside for an early morning run. He had started doing this lately; it helped clear his head. Harry was a very fast runner, and he loved to race down the street across the road. It was downhill, and if he ran fast enough, the feeling of wind rushing past him and through his hair almost made him feel like he was flying on his beloved broomstick, his Firebolt. He hadn't been able to ride on it for months because of that stupid Umbridge woman who banned him last term, and sorely missed the wonderful sensation he got when he was flying. He went for a morning run often now, and it was like a daily ritual. It had also made him very muscular and fit. As soon as he was at Ron's, there would be no more hiding his broom away in the closet. He would be able to ride it as often as he liked. He couldn't wait.

Harry spend the rest of the morning packing for his departure. At 1:15, he was waiting in the lounge of the Dursleys' house for his friends to arrive.

Petunia was standing impatiently in the corner, covering her precious Dudley as she stared at Harry like he was a stain on humanity. Vernon was sitting in his armchair, huffing with his eyes narrowed, a vein throbbing in his forehead. His face was turning more and more purple as the time grew. At 1:25, the deathly silence in the lounge was broken by a whimper of Dudley's as some of the atmosphere in the room was shimmering, like the air above a candle. Suddenly, there was a little _pop _and Mr Weasley appeared out of nowhere. Petunia and Vernon paled, but Harry grinned widely and said, 

"Cool! You Apparated." Mr Weasley smiled and said, 

"Hello, Harry! Great to see you again. Mr and Mrs Dursley; Dudley,"

he nodded at the Dursleys in greeting.

"Yes, Harry: I did Apparate, but just to see that everything's in order before the boys come by Floo Powder to help you back to the Burrow. That's the way you'll be coming. Ah, I see that there's no grate in the fireplace any more- excellent. I'll go get Ron and the twins." With that, he Disapparated; much to the shock of the Dursleys. Vernon growled.

"He does that again and I'll clobber the freak." 

Dudley made a grunting sound that was uncannily Goyle-like, a sure hint that the star wrestler would dearly like to do the same if he weren't so scared. 

Petunia's knuckles were white from being clenched. She glared furiously at Harry as she muttered incoherent sentences that seemed to revolve around,

"In my house…the cheek…how _dare_ he…" 

Dudley just stared stupidly at Harry and fearfully inquired, "Wow…can you do that?" Harry shook his head, and Dudley looked immensely relieved. 

They waited a moment, and heard a faint whooshing sound issuing from the fireplace. Harry cautioned the Dursleys to stand back as Ron, Fred and George appeared one after the other. 

Ron gave him a huge, hearty clap on the back and cried, "Harry! Long time, no see!" as the twins seized his trunks and Hedwig, pulling Harry's luggage into the fireplace. Fred and George grinned.

"Hey, Harry! It's great to see you again. We know you'll have heaps of fun with us this summer."

"Yeah! You'll be here for your birthday, and you get to try out all our new merchandise for our joke shop." At that, both twins fell silent, and gazed in Dudley's direction.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that little incident with the Ton-Tongue Toffees a couple of years ago. We bad." Fred mumbled, eyes downcast (although Harry and Ron could see he was trying hard not to laugh). 

George brightened noticeably, "But on the upside, you were the first muggle to try them, so you should feel privileged," and dragged the trunk into the fireplace. 

Ron explained to Harry in hushed tones, "Dad forced them to apologise," and snickered about something. 

Exactly _what_ that something was became evident as all four wizards climbed into the fireplace to depart. Dudley gave a loud, shrill squawk and promptly turned into a bird, one of Fred and George's Canary Creams in one hand…or what used to be his hand. Vernon rampaged towards the fireplace with a roar, Petunia passed out and the Twins cackled maniacally as they quickly shot a reversing spell at Dudley from their wands. All four grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the pot Ron was holding and cried, 

"The Burrow!" as they disappeared with a roar of flames. Vernon couldn't stop himself and thundered uncontrollably into the ashy fireplace, covering himself with soot. Dudley was back to his former self, and just sat on the floor with horror written on his face. Petunia came to and whispered,

"At last…he's gone."


	3. I've got the Floo

Harry was revolving very quickly; round and round. He peered through his tightly shut eyelids and saw flames everywhere. He could only feel the familiar warm tickle produced by Floo Powder when travelling. He squinted in the distance and saw many grates to wizarding fireplaces; but just as suddenly as they would appear, they would vanish again. Looking carefully, he saw he was hurtling towards one grate in particular- the Burrow. 

His stomach clenched in anticipation as he prepared himself to stop. He tried to screw up his face, but he found his forehead had gone oddly numb. It was like having pins and needles in his face: a very peculiar sensation indeed. Then, to Harry's surprise, the numbness stopped and was replaced by a painful jolt as his scar began to sting. It felt like it was ripping his entire face in two! Harry let out a yell, and then remembered that his scar was usually trying to tell him something when it did this. Without warning, everything stopped.

Harry was no longer spinning: he was standing with his feet planted shakily on the…he looked down. There wasn't really a ground; just a solid bank of smoke he was supported on. He looked around wildly for the Weasleys. Harry peered over another ridge of smoke, and thought he heard someone.

"Ron? Fred? George? Ron! Come on, you guys, answer me!" he cried, suppressing a shudder. 

This place was nowhere he had ever been before. Harry strained to listen to a faint groan, then a moan, topped off by such loud profanity that could only mean Ron was okay. The three Weasley boys waded slowly over to Harry, and for a moment just stood in a circle looking shocked at each other. Ron summed the situation up with another four-letter word, which, although he was reprimanded for saying it, was absolutely spot-on. Harry frowned and said,   
"Where are we?" 

Ron shook his head in bewilderment. Fred raised an eyebrow, answering,

"I don't know where we are, but I do know where we aren't. That's a start." George Weasley bit his lip, saying,

"Well, we aren't at the Dursley's, and we aren't at the Burrow. Obviously, we haven't fallen through some other wizarding fire, so we're somewhere in between." Harry nodded slowly, thinking hard.

"So…we must have stopped travelling. We are in…" Ron finished for him, blanching.

"The Floo Dimension." It was a statement, not a guess. 

The boys looked around. Harry drew in a breath and the others just stared. They had been in the Floo Dimension before, and it had not looked like this. Whenever they were spinning, travelling through the Floo Dimenion to another grate, it had been like walking through fire- even though you couldn't feel the bright flames. Before they had stopped, everything had been all bright and hot, yellow and orange. Very much like a furnace. Now, as the three wizards explored their surroundings, the atmosphere was like something Harry had seen on television: a muggle substance called dry ice. Harry nodded to himself. All he could see in any direction, apart from Ron, Fred and George, was red and grey mist. It rolled in all directions and, although it looked soft enough, felt almost solid. George drew in a breath a whispered,

"Guys! Listen." He looked really scared. Fred's eyes widened, and Ron's jaw dropped in horror.

"Harry! Do you hear that? Who is it?" Harry frowned and shook his head slightly. He couldn't hear anything unusual. At the same time, his stomach began to lurch with dread. His head was swimming, and he was beginning to feel feverish. His scar began to feel funny again; not hurting, but numbness. Harry nodded faintly at his friends: he _could _hear something. He asked,

"Does it sound to you like a person? A girl whispering?" at this, Fred looked worried and took a step toward Harry.

"No…it was more like a whooshing sound, with a bit of buzzing." George nodded,

"It sounds like it's getting closer. Is that a good thing?"

Ron shook his head, bewildered.

"I really don't think we want to face this thing. Let's go!" George looked extremely worried and, his voice rising with fear, said,

"Which direction? We're lost. There's nowhere to run!"

At this point the whooshing sound the Weasleys were hearing was increasing in volume. It was getting nearer, and closing in _fast_. It was filling their ears, and they could feel their hearts jack-hammering in their chests. Harry cocked his head to one side.

"I still don't hear a whooshing. I hear a girl…she's saying something…" his scar began to hum and he listened with all his might. He recognised the voice. It was the girl from his dream! She was talking to him again, but…he was nowhere near her. It couldn't be…could it?

__

Harry…Harry? Listen, you have to trust me, Harry. Can you do that? I will help you. You are not safe here.

As Ron, Fred and George watched him, growing quite frantic thinking that Harry had gone crazy, Harry nodded and thought, 'I guess I'll have to trust you. Just help me!'

Ron drew out his wand motioned for the others to do the same. Fred was breathing quickly, drawing in deep, laboured breaths and darting his eyes from side to side. George was pivoting on the spot, staying on his guard and whispering prayers. Ron swore loudly and pointed up into the air, where a gap had been pushed between some banks of smoke. There, floating imperiously above their heads, was the Dark Mark. Harry looked up stared in horror, his stomach lurching. Harry was going to be sick-someone was coming. He could hear voices now…only a couple, but still they were dangerous. Harry stammered,

"W-w-what is it?" 

The voice took over, commanding and urgent.

__

It doesn't matter. You are in trouble. Listen to me and act quickly. Take out your wand, and perform a point-me spell. That's it. Now turn to the East…good. Run in that direction until I tell you otherwise. Go! 

Harry reasoned aloud with himself as he grabbed Ron, Fred and George.

"Be killed by Voldemort and lose my friends; listen to a nameless phantom of a girl who tells me how to get away. I'll take the Phantom." 

He ran leading the Weasleys for a while, heading in the direction the Phantom told him to. Ron and the twins were following him, and were slowly getting calmer as the sound of whooshing death became farther away from them. 

__

Stop. Rest here.

The voice was back. Harry halted in his tracks, and the Weasleys came crashing into him. Ron rubbed his head where it had hit Fred's shoulder. 

"Harry, how did you know which way to come?" 

George leaned back against an embankment, Fred coming to sit next to him as he said, 

"Who cares? We're alive." Fred sighed,

"That qualifies as good. But we're still here, and not home. How do we get to the Burrow?"

Harry was feeling worried about this voice. As Ron had said in their second year; 'hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world'. Harry was going to share this information with Ron, but maybe later, when they were safe and in private.

__

Okay. You still need to get out of here and back to the Burrow. Do you have any Floo Powder left?

Harry started when the girl's voice came back, echoing and spectral as ever. He stammered,

"Uh, yeah, we do still have Floo Powder." Fred, George and Ron fell silent and stared at Harry, having a conversation with himself.

__

Excellent! Now, perform a Patronus spell to keep you safe as you travel back to the Burrow.

Harry was starting to hear a faint whooshing as he pulled his wand out again. He supposed this was the sound the Weasleys were hearing. Voldemort was coming back.

"Expecto Patronum!" cried Harry, thinking what a joy it will be to be with his friends on his birthday. He only hoped this happy thought would be enough. Judging by the enormous silver stag erupting from his wand, it was enough. Fred and George's mouths dropped in awe, while Ron whipped out his new wand also. 

"Anything I can do, Harry?"

__

Get your friends to put their wand tips together.

"Er, okay," Harry said, resigned to the fact that they were going to think he was another Luna Lovegood.

"Let's put our wands together. Don't ask why, I just…have a feeling this could work."

__

Good. Now each take a pinch of Floo Powder, and hold it. You are going to perform a spell. The words are "Closus Porte", but don't do it until you have used the Floo Powder. Right after you have said, "The Burrow", all say the spell. Remember, "Closus Porte". This will close the grate after you are there. Good Luck.

Her last words were echoing in Harry's head as he repeated the instructions.

"Let's try using some more Floo Powder to get out of here. We still need to stop whatever that was getting back with us, so we should close the grate to your fireplace. I think the words are "Closus Porte".

Fred shook his head.

"Sounds like a plan to me, but we don't have nearly enough magic to close the grate. That's a very complex spell."

George nodded,

"True, but if we join our magic it shouldn't be too hard. That's why he told us to put our wands together- merged magic. Right, Harry?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. That phantom girl sure was clever. Harry pretended he knew what was going on and said,

"Uh-huh. That's it. Let's do it!"

At that, the boys yelled, "The Burrow!" and threw down their Floo Powder. Immediately after this action, they all performed the grate-sealing spell. The Closus Porte spell only took a few seconds to work, but Harry, Ron, Fred and George were well back in the Burrow's fireplace by that time. Ron supposed this was because they were already halfway home in the first place, so they didn't have very far to travel.

__

So, now do you trust me? 

Harry heard in a relieved, tired, female voice.

Yes, he thought. Creepy as it is; I think I trust you. Thank you.


	4. Burrowing

Harry 'oofed' loudly. That was all it took. Seven very hoarse voices started screeching. The first person to reach them was a tearful, hysterical Hermione. She threw herself on top of the pile on the floor that consisted of Harry and Ron, and showered them both with hugs and kisses on the cheek. 

"Ron! Harry! Where _were_ you?! I was so worried, I'd thought both of you were dead, it's been all over the news in the Daily Prophet. Oh my God, thank Merlin you're all right!" Hermione managed to gasp rather quickly. Her eyes were red, and her hair was much more dishevelled than usual, which was really saying something.

Mrs Weasley shrieked with relief as she raced over to Ron and Harry. Seeing that they were sort of… indisposed with Hermione all over them, she assumed they were being taken care of. Instead, Mrs Weasley raced over to her twins. She said nothing, but pulled them into a huge, teary hug. Normally, the twins would have pushed her away; now, they just pulled her closer. 

"It's okay, mum." George choked out.

"Yeah. We're safe now. Don't worry," Fred mumbled, his face buried in his mother's shoulder.

Then another squeal was heard. Ginny raced forward and hugged both Ron and Harry tightly.

"Oh, you're all okay! We've been worried sick all this time. What happened?" she asked, voice quavering. She pulled back to let them breathe, and took a place alongside Mr Weasley. Harry looked to the other side of Ginny and saw two tall ashen-faced figures. One he recognised immediately as Bill – he could tell immediately from his ponytail. The other he recognised as Charlie. Harry noted with unease that Percy was not there – he was still estranged from the Weasleys. Ron stood up and addressed everyone.

"We're all right. Does anyone know what happened? All we know is we were in the Floo Dimension, and stuck there. Something was coming after us, but we escaped thanks to Harry and came back here." He said this all very fast, looking mightily puzzled.

Bill answered, his voice gruff. "All WE know is that dad came back, and we waited for you. You never came back. That was three days ago."

George leaned around his mother's arm with a shocked look on his face. His jaw dropped. " Three days?" he whispered. "It only seemed like…well, certainly not three days."

Hermoine, ever the knowledgeable one, nodded. "You were in a completely different dimension. Time moves much slower there; that's why wizards use it to travel in the first place. A little time in the Floo Dimension can be ages here."

Harry looked curiously at Hermione. "Is that why you're here? Ron sent me an owl saying you'd be here on the 29th. That must be today."

Hermione smiled weakly. "Yes, I was planning to come today, but I came yesterday actually. I was reading the Daily Prophet, and it said that you four were missing. Ginny owled me, and I came right away. Good God, the whole wizarding world is scared. They think it's You-Know-Who, and everyone's terrified."

"The whole Ministry of Magic has gone into overtime. No one can explain what happened," said a previously silent Mr Weasley. Ron noted the heavy bags under his father's eyes. 

"Blimey, I'm tired. What's the time?" said one of the twins. No one was in the mood to try and figure out which one it was. That task simply took too much out of a person. Mrs Weasley glanced at Charlie.

"Oh…about 11:00p.m. We should all head off to bed. Big day tomorrow. We have to talk to reporters from the Daily Prophet, and probably talk to the Ministry of Magic. You four in particular are going to have a busy time." Charlie took charge, sending everyone off upstairs.

Harry and Ron dragged themselves up the steps with a lot of help from Hermoine. They reached the top and Ron noted there was already a crumpled, pink sleeping bag on the floor where Hermione must have been sleeping last night. 

"I borrowed your room, Ron. Hope you don't mind." Hermione grinned cheekily. It was a luxury she allowed herself now that her best friends were safe. Ron shook his head no.

"Not at all. But you're going to have to give it back to me while so Harry and I can get changed."

"Sure. I'll borrow Ginny's room." 

Hermione grabbed a pretty, pale yellow nightie off the floor and left the two boys. She had taken two steps and turned.

"But when I get back, you two are going to have to tell me everything."

"You can count on it."

Hermione didn't have to wait long. By the time she, Ron and Harry had got dressed and brushed their teeth, they were suddenly feeling wide-awake again. Ron told Hermione everything he could. He had to stop often because he didn't really know _what _happened. Hermione was just sitting quietly the whole time, face changing from one sentence to the next. Harry and Ron knew from experience what a good audience she was. Hermione loved a good story, especially if it was true. She went from looking thoughtful to scared, puzzled to worried, shocked to relieved and back again to thoughtful as Ron's narration came to a close. She looked at Harry with a final look of curiosity written on her features.

She's so beautiful when she's thinking, Ron sighed to himself as he gazed at her. That's my girl. 

"Harry," said Hermione, looking at him questioningly, "the million-Galleon question: How did you know what to do in the Floo Dimension?" Ron, who had been staring at Hermione without realising it, suddenly jerked his attention back to Harry. 

"Yeah…how _did_ you know?"

Harry frowned. He did not relish having to tell his best friends this. What if they thought he was loony? He seemed uncertain for a minute.

__

Tell them, Harry. Go ahead. Ron can't deny what you say, and Hermione trusts you, too. Tell them about me.

Harry nodded, apparently to himself. Ron raised an eyebrow. Harry was doing this strange behaviour again, just like he did back in the Floo Dimension. Ron was starting to worry about him. Harry took a breath as if bracing himself and began.

"Okay. This may sound very Professor Trelawney," (snicker from Ron), 

"But I am hearing voices. One voice, actually. A girl about our age. I first heard her the night before I left the Dursleys," and he proceeded to tell them about his dream. That said, he went on to explain how she had been the one to tell him which way to go and which spells to cast. Ron was staring off into space, lost in thought. Hermione was left feeling more puzzled than before. She voiced her thoughts.

"Well, Harry. She sounds nice enough. She saved you all, definitely. She sounds…well, trustworthy." Ron nodded at her words.

"Yeah. She saved my bacon, so I'm pretty much a believer. Let's be careful, though. I only wish I could hear her, too."

__

But you can hear me, Ron.

The nape of Ron's neck prickled. His jaw dropped. He heard a faint rushing noise, and glanced over at Harry. Harry's eyes widened with excitement.

"Ron? Can you hear her now, too?" Ron could only nod. He was rigid with shock. Hermione frowned. Ron was hearing her, too? This is way beyond weird, she thought to herself. Then Hermione too heard a whooshing.

__

Yes, it is weird, came a giggle. Ron had stopped gaping like a clown at an amusement park. Obviously, he had not heard that last statement. Harry smiled crookedly. It seemed to Hermione that Harry had heard it. 

"Mione? Did you hear that?" she nodded yes. 

__

Harry, can you be messenger please? Repeat what I say to the others.

Harry grinned lopsidedly, with a funny, resigned look on his features.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

__

Let me explain. First, I am your friend. As a matter of fact, I am an honorary member of the Order of the Phoenix. Do not fear me at all. I have powers, which let me speak to others through the mind. 

Harry gulped. Ron and Hermione were looking expectantly at him. He said, "She's talking to me. She says not to fear her, because she's our friend. She's in the Order, too. I wonder why no one never told us about her? She said she has powers that let her talk to people through their minds."

Hermione nodded knowledgeably. "She must be telepathic. A clairvoyant. How cool!"

Ron blanched. "If she's a psychic like Trelawney, that's very scary indeed."

In Harry's head, the voice Harry was beginning to get used to giggled again.

__

I know Professor Trelawney at Hogwarts. She's my friend. But don't worry, I don't predict death quite as frequently. 

Harry laughed. "She heard you, Ron. She says she knows Trelawney, and is friends with her. She says not to worry; she doesn't predict death quite as frequently."

__

I am telepathic. I am here to help you, Harry. I get visions sometimes, and they tell me things that can let me help you. I can speak with anyone, anytime, but more than one person at a time gets tiring for me. I can do it, but it drains me of energy a bit. When I speak with others, you often hear by accident. It doesn't strain me to talk to you. It's like you are on my Speed-dial. Again, she laughed.

Harry spoke. "Basically, she says she gets visions and tells me to be safe. She's really looking out for us. She can talk to anyone, but it's easiest one person at a time. I sometimes hear automatically. She said it's like I'm on her Speed-dial. Apart from me, talking to more than one person at a time tires her out. That explains why I can hear her more than you two."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Well, that would explain a lot. Although I have no idea what a Speed-Dial is. Must be muggle."

Hermione grinned. "It is muggle- a telephone thing. Well, I have one more question."

__

What is your question, Hermione? The voice asked.

The brunette giggled nervously. This was still really new to her.

"What's your name?" 

The whooshing came back full-force now. By the looks of their faces, Hermione could see that Harry and Ron were tuned in as well.

__

I wish you all well. I will contact you more frequently than I have been. Try to get used to me so that other people don't know about me. It is very important that you three, Dumbledore, and the others in the Order are the only ones who know about me. VERY important. Remember that I am your friend. Rest now. Have a happy birthday on the 31st, Harry. I'll talk to you later. Be careful. 

The voice was sounding tired now, breathless and out of energy. It must be true what she said about talking to different people, thought Harry. She sounds really strained.

"Wait! Don't go!" Hermione cried. "you didn't tell us your name?"

The whooshing was dying down, becoming faint, distant…

__

I am Annabelle Rose

Call me Rose..

A/N 

Hmmm this is a boring start……gets better, I promise.

Review plz


	5. Not a morning person

The next morning, which was coincidently only two and a half hours after he fell asleep, Harry awoke in Ron's violent orange bedroom. It gave him quite a scare, as he had forgotten how bright it was. When he fell asleep last night, everything was dark, so the colour hadn't affected him too much. He lay awake for a while, lost in his own thoughts about the night before.

This girl - 'Rose' as she called herself - seemed such a lovely person to genuinely want to help him. She must have powers beyond his reckoning. Harry had heard some talk of telepathy among some of the older Gryffindors in past years. He hadn't thought much about it til now. Rose also said she knew Professor Trelawney from Hogwarts. Harry wondered how they had met. He didn't really think Trelawney was in the Order. But, then, she had heard the prophecy; so maybe she was…He would have to ask Rose how they met her next time she contacted him. Although, he reasoned, couldn't be sure she would tell him. She almost seemed to like being all mysterious. Harry groaned, and decided on talking to Professor Trelawney about Rose when they went back to Hogwarts instead. He would have to endure a lot of death predictions this year: he could feel it. 

On the floor across from him, Hermione shifted slightly in her sleeping bag. She was thinking about Rose, but a face kept interrupting her train of thought. A very handsome face, in fact. The face smiled at her and winked, and she grinned back, blushing, curling up into a ball. The owner of said face groaned and rolled over in his sleep. She didn't think he was awake yet. Ronald Weasley sure was a heavy sleeper. Hermione pushed her lovely thoughts of Ron aside for a moment to think about last night. Rose had a soft, comforting, gentle voice that was hard not to trust. Hermione found she liked Rose instantly…well, her voice, at least. She sounded nice enough. Hermione noted that Rose had mentioned both Trelawney and Dumbledore, and had spoken of Hogwarts and the Order. The brunette had read about telepathy. There was more to this Rose than she was letting on. She let herself drift back to sleep.

Ron Weasley awoke slowly to the gentle, sweet aroma of sandalwood, honey and…what was that, lemon? He inhaled deeply, and discovered it was the alluring fragrance of Hermione's hair. Ron, Hermione and Harry were lying on the floor in a triangle with their heads together, bodies splaying outwards, sharing the same lump of pillows. Ron sighed as he thought of Hermione. He felt very protective of her. It tore him up inside that she was still sending owls to that Viktor Krum. He didn't like that guy; not one bit. His feelings for Hermione were very complex at the best of times, but now he felt his attitude towards her changing. Thinking back to last night, Ron thought about Rose's ability. Growing up in a wizarding family, Ron knew a bit about telepathy and clairvoyants. Apparently, a clairvoyant is very rare, despite the thousands of muggles pretending they were extrasensory to cheat money from other muggles. Telepathy never came with birth; usually something has to happen to a person, generally in their childhood, to trigger the ability. This Rose was very special. Ron wondered what the catalyst was which gave Rose her special powers. It must have been quite an ordeal.

Ron stirred. He had to get up sooner or later. He rolled over onto his stomach so he could survey both Harry and Hermione. Harry, he observed, was awake. He stared back at Ron and mumbled 'morning' while stifling a yawn. Ron yawned 'morning' back. He wondered briefly why one person yawning makes another person yawn back. It was just funny. He looked over at Hermione. She had fallen back to sleep, and had her perfect mouth closed in a small smile. 

'Pleasant dreams', thought Ron wickedly with a grin. He signalled Harry to be quiet with a finger to his lips and motioned over to Hermione, who was still sleeping peacefully. Harry propped himself up on an elbow, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Ron. Ron mouthed 'watch' to Harry and lowered his hand in level with Hermione's head. Harry glanced at his friend and noted that he was desperately trying to hold in his laughter and stay silent. Ron's hand neared her face. By this time, Harry too was trying to hold in a chuckle. Ron went in for the final action. He waited until she had exhaled, and softly pinched her nose shut. Nothing happened. 

Hermione didn't breathe. Her subconscious self told her something was wrong. Her body was not getting oxygen. She was beginning to fight for breath. She tried to inhale through her nose, but something wouldn't let her. She couldn't breathe in or out. Harry and Ron snickered as her body started to jerk. She was still asleep, and asleep people don't have the presence of mind to open their mouths. Finally, she squealed and her mouth flew open. She sprang up in bed to a sitting position and gasped. Gulping air down, coughing, sneezing and hiccupping all at once, she managed to glare at Ron and Harry, while choking out,

"Don't…EVER…do…that…again!"

Hermione's glare was lost on Harry and Ron, who were rolling around on the floor, bumping into each other, holding their sides with laughter. Harry was snorting, and Ron was positively howling. A figure with red hair was leaning up against the doorframe, needing it there to support her. Ginny was falling about tittering, shaking her head. 

"He does that to me all the time!" she gasped. 

Hermione narrowed her eyes, and glowered at Ron for a few minutes, until he finally stopped guffawing. Why is he so charming? She thought to herself. He's so childish, it's just adorable.

Ron gazed imploringly at her. "Oh, come on, Mione. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist!"

She just kept staring at him, a calculating look on her face. Everyone was watching as she plucked a pillow from the floor and hugged it to her chest. Tension was building in the room. Harry and Ginny could feel it. They looked at each other, and shared a look that said, 'what's she up to?' 

She stalked closer to Ron. There was only about a foot length between their faces. He could feel her breath. His eyes were boring into hers. Her heart started to jack-hammer wildly, but she hid it and stared at him.

He was starting to feel hot. Was this a good thing? What was she up to? She had been staring at him for a while now and he expected her to continue to do so for a little while longer. They were locked in a high-tension staring contest. Then, all of a sudden, Hermione whipped up the pillow and brought it crashing down on Ron's head.

"You crazy loon!" she screeched, and dove on top of him as he hit the ground. He fought to regain his composure, and started to wrestle with her. He was on top when he grabbed a pillow and began batting at her with it. 

Ron whipped around. "Harry, c'mon! help me out here!"

Harry joined in the fray, grabbing a pillow and jumping on them both. Hermione squeaked "Ginny! Little help?" and ducked to avoid a pillow aimed at her. Ginny cackled maniacally and picked up yet another pillow, diving on top of the whole bunch. They were wrestling and fighting for about ten minutes when the rest of the Weasleys came to the door, smiling. 

Molly sighed contentedly. "It's good to see them safe and happy again."

Fred and George nodded absently before leaping on top of the laughing pile and joining in. Bill and Charlie circled the bunch like referees, yelling things like 'Go, Hermione!' and 'use your knee! No, push harder!' and 'you'll never win like that!' Six pairs of flailing arms, six pairs of kicking legs…there were limbs flying everywhere, not to mention pillows. Molly and Arthur shook their heads and walked down to breakfast together. They'd been lost in another dimension for three days, terrorised by You-Know-Who, and all they could do was laugh and have a pillow fight. They were almost adults, too. A few of their children were. Childish, immature they were. Kids. 

Later that day, after everyone was sitting around the Weasleys' dining room table, talking. Everyone save Ron and Hermione. The pretty girl sat on a swing in the backyard, Ron standing behind her, pushing. They had not said anything to one another for a few minutes. Hermione just sat there, whooshing through the air, a thrill working its way up her spine every time Ron's warm hands spanned across her back to push her.

"So," he said, willing his voice not to betray his emotions. "how was your holiday? Any letters from Victor?" he had been wondering this with jealousy for quite some time now. He envied Viktor Krum more than he thought he could envy anyone. Hermione squirmed in her swing uncomfortably.

"Oh, I dumped him ages ago," she replied, trying her best to sound nonchalant. Ron stood stock still, gaping with surprise. Hermione swung back, forced to by momentum, and almost crashed into him. He checked himself just in the nick of time and was able to avoid anything embarrassing. Hermione had her back turned, and didn't notice his shocked expression. 

"Yeah," she continued, "he was just so conceited and egotistical. He was as self-absorbent as a sponge. After a while, I ahd to stop writing to him. It was unbelievable! He got all shirty with me and he's all 'oh, I'm famous, your loss'." She added sarcastically.

"Honestly, Ron, I have never disliked someone more."

At this, Ron grinned to himself. She was his! He thought about her last statement, and slyly coughed 'Malfoy!' Hermione sighed with a smile, and turned to Ron.

"I stand corrected." Their eyes met. 

Ron whispered, "so…you're all free now?"

Hermione's body tingled. She giggled. 

"Sure am," she announced happily. 

Their faces neared. Hermione sighed and she drew closer. Ron closed his eyes. Their lips met, and a few seconds later, two figures bore down on them. Two figures by the names of Bill and Charlie. Bill grabbed Ron by the elbow and shoved him roughly away, while Charlie took hold of Hermione's shoulders and dragged her inside gently.

"Now, now, children. None of that." They joked. "There are parents here." The older Weasley boys guided Ron and Hermione inside, both laughing to themselves wickedly. Ickle Ronniekins sure was growing up fast.

Harry looked up from his conversation with Ginny about a certain Dean Thomas, her boyfriend, to see a very pink Hermione and an indignant looking Ron being led by Bill and Charlie. Frankly, Harry was relieved. He couldn't last much more of this 'girltalk' about how great Dean was. Listening to Ginny was making Harry feel a twinge in his stomach he labelled as a result of too much information. He felt he needed to escape from all this talk of romance and love for at the very least a few minutes. He stood and walked over to Ron to talk about Quidditch this year. He was about to speak when Ron grabbed his arm and pulled him forcefully into the kitchen. He seemed breathless.

"I just kissed Mione," he blurted out. Harry blinked.

"Sorry, Ron. I just tuned out. What?"

"Told you, I just kissed Mione," Ron hissed.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Seriously?"

"Yeah. We were kissing long and hard. It was nice," he added as an afterthought.

Harry hung his head. Again, way too much information. He had come to Ron to escape this type of torture. Harry grinned despite of this.

"But I thought she was involved with Krum?"

"They broke up. He was too conceited." 

Harry paused. "Was the kiss an accident, or on purpose?"

"I think on purpose."

"Oh…" Harry was silent for a time, then grinned. "Well, life certainly got a whole lot more interesting. One question: am I doomed to never have a girlfriend? I just learned that Dean has one. That's just depressing."

Ron cocked an eyebrow. "Can't be that bad. Who's Thomas's girlfriend?"

"Your sister."

"Oh. WHAT? I thought she was joking on the train. Oh, well." 

"As I said, I don't think I'll ever get a girlfriend."

__

Oh, I dunno. (giggle) _It might happen, Harry._

Harry jerked and felt himself blushing furiously. "Rose?" he called incredulously, but she was gone already. 

"She's gotta stop doing that."

A/N okay, fine. Just PLEASE make sure you reply as soon as you've run out of chappies!!!!!!for the love of cheese, please!!!


	6. Letters and Lessons

Harry and Ron were called back into the dining room by Mrs Weasley.

"Come on, boys. Your Hogwarts letters have arrived. A little early this year," Molly commented as she handed Ron his letter. Hedwig came soaring through the window and dropped an extra thick letter in Harry's lap. She stalked over to Pig, Ron's owl, and hooted genially at him as she gulped some pumpkin juice from Percy's pitcher. Harry opened his letter, and aside from the usual school stuff he found a note. It read:

'Dear Mr Potter,

I am aware that an incident occurred recently that involved you and the Weasleys- an attack of Death Eaters. My associate was able to assist you in this predicament, but I now ask that whenever you or your friends venture outside, you have an adult company. Be on your guard. Enjoy the rest of your school holidays.

By the way, I wish for you to continue your Occlumency lessons this year. I shall tutor you in this subject on Wednesday evenings in my office at nine o'clock, as soon as we begin the new school term.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'

Harry stuffed the note into his robe pocket to show Ron and Hermione tonight. He didn't want the rest of the Weasleys to panic- particularly Molly. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who were staring at their regular Hogwarts letters. Harry pulled his out. He looked under a heading that said 'curriculum overview'. Hmm, he thought. Mione must be loving this part. He was reflecting on that thought when he heard an excited squeal from across him. Hermione grabbed Ron's arm in her glee.

"Oh, look, Ron! Sixth years have a new subject!" Ron groaned.

"Not another, surely?" Hermione slapped him playfully. Harry felt his heart sinking. Another subject? 

"I already have to continue with Occlumency this year. Another?"

What if it was like Potions, or Divination? He didn't think he could handle it. Hermione continued happily.

"All sixth years study psyche for a year. Won't that be fun?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, we can finally prove to everyone Trelawney's off her rocker!"

Fred put down the letter he was reading to stare off dreamily into space. "Oh, loved that class. Great visual aides," he said, chortling. George rolled his eyes, smiling distantly.

"Oh, you mean her, don't you? Too true," he agreed. "Very pretty."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Well, Harry," Charlie answered, "I remember that class. Great memories." He added with a grin. "Psyche isn't about proving Trelawney's crazy."

Hermione nodded earnestly. "Yes, it's about the mind, not sanity. It says here in the curriculum overview – '' 

" - Knew you'd love that part, Mione," cut in Harry with a smirk,

"-that it delves into the more magical aspects of psyche. Like," she said, eyes widening slightly, "Psychics and telepathy." She finished by emphasising the last words.

Harry's heart skipped a beat when she said that so pointedly to him, but he didn't let on to the rest of them, so as not to upset Mr and Mrs Weasley. He spared a thought of Dumbledore as he replaced his letter back in its letter for later perusal. He glanced at the address on the front of the envelope. Harry marvelled how Professor Dumbledore seemed to know everything all the time. Events, locations, thoughts…Dumbledore was brilliant. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, Mione, who's teaching us?"

"Doesn't say. Ooh, I love surprises! Except the nasty ones," she ammended. Ron snickered.

"Yeah, but I suppose that's what happens when you're friends with a nutter like Harry. Lots of nasty surprises." Harry glared at his so-called friend.

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, it's true. There hasn't been a lasting Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since you came to Hogwarts. Well, apart from you," admitted Hermione, referring to the DA lessons Harry had taught in last year during Umbridge's reign of terror. Harry looked hurt, and frowned with a 'hmph'. The rest of the family tittered quietly behind their hands while Molly looked on disapprovingly. Harry sighed and quipped,

"I'm just wacky like that."

"Can't deny it, Harry. It's the truth," Ginny giggled a bit too loudly. Molly opened her mouth to defend Harry. Honestly, behaving like this in her very own house! She stopped when Harry's mournful face met her eyes.

"It's alright, Ms Weasley. I understand. It's just natural to pick on the most roguishly handsome person in a group. Just another one of my curses." At this, Fred, who had been drinking orange juice at the time snorted loudly and sprayed the table with sticky juice. George started to roar with laughter.

"Oh, boy! That's a good one, Harry."

"Roguishly handsome? Oh, my sides hurt!"

They chanced a look at Harry's cold glare and stopped abruptly.

Ron snickered again. "See, mum? I was right. He's not full of himself at all." Harry smacked him in the arm.

"Sure. Right. Let's all pick on Harry," he muttered and left the table. Harry really loved it here.

~ ~ ~

Thousands of kilometres away, a boy stood on a balcony, staring off into the distance. It was a beautiful sunset, but all this was lost on him. He thought about what he had heard earlier that day. The boy recalled the glee in his father's voice as he had told his son about the new developments with the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. 

"Well, son, things are going well. My Lord is breaking the girl's resolve. She is very powerful, and shall be a great asset to our cause when she joins us. As you shall be also, eh, son?"

The boy was silent. He had no intention of joining his father.

"Draco?" his father prodded harshly. He was very expectant of his son.

"Yes, father?" he answered automatically. Draco knew he could not lie to his father. Lucius would speak to his Lord, who could tell when anyone's lying.

"You will become a Death Eater like me." It was a command, not a request. Draco's heart felt very bitter with hatred for his father. He would never become a Death Eater, not after he witnessed what they did to the girl. What Lucius had done to the girl. He paused before answering,

"All in due time, father. I can hardly be useful to the Dark Lord while still in school at Hogwarts."

"Or…perhaps you can. You are placed in an excellent position to inform us on anything that old fool Dumbledore plans. We would have no need to infiltrate the school quite so often if you do."

Draco had a horrible twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. He squirmed uncomfortably. "Quite." He decided he would be a spy. Not for his father, but for Dumbledore. He would make Lucius pay for what he did to Draco's cousin. How any man could torture his own flesh and blood was beyond him. Draco shuddered to think what Lucius might do to him if he resisted the Dark Lord. He was so powerful, he had broken Lucius Malfoy out of Azkaban two weeks ago. 

The boy had loved her deeply. Not in the romantic sense, but she was different. She was more family to Draco than his mother or father had ever been. Every time he saw her - her smile, her fierce, passionate eyes, he wished he were more like her. She was special: that much was obvious. His cousin was also very powerful, but she intended to use her gifts for good. It didn't matter to Draco that his cousin wasn't entirely human. She was half Fey, but that didn't matter. She was one of the most compassionate people in the world. The Dark Lord wanted her because she was powerful: Draco knew this. He also knew that she wasn't a pushover. He felt the icy claw of hatred plunge deep into his chest. 

Someone was going to pay. 

Draco would make sure of that.

A/N

Oooh very rebellious Draco here. Yummy…


	7. Felix

Back in Surrey, Petunia Dursley pursed her lips happily as her keen eyes surveyed what was in front of her. 

"Hmm. I think it's steak for dinner tonight." Petunia had to make a special meal tonight to celebrate Harry's departure. Vernon was so relieved, and Dudley was just glad to have his bedroom back for a year.

An elderly woman walked up to her in the supermarket, pushing a trolley full of groceries, which Petunia quickly recognised as one of her more likeable neighbours.

"Why, Mrs Dursley, dear; how lovely to see you." 

"Mrs Wilshire! Oh, we haven't spoken in a while, have we?" the old lady smiled.

"Come, now, call me Faith. Mrs Wilshire just makes me sound so old."

"All right," laughed Petunia, "If you call me Petunia". 

"So how are things, dear? What's happened in your life recently?"

Petunia felt a giggle wanting to escape her, but she fought it back down and maintained her composure.

"Well, Faith, that dreadful nephew of mine has gone back to school. I can't believe he's finally gone."

Mrs Wilshire was a clever old lady, and had a twinkle in her eye as she said,   
"But surely his school doesn't start this early. Where does he go, again?"

Petunia snarled inwardly, but made sure she kept a smiling exterior.

"Er…St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys, remember? He's staying with his friend 'Weasley' or something before the term starts. Horrible family, of course. Four of their children go to St Brutus's as well. Oh, that Harry is a dreadful child. You were always such a godsend before he went to boarding school, You caught him wandering on the streets. I have to thank you again for helping us discipline him. Hope he was never too much trouble." 

Petunia gazed at Mrs Wilshire with a peculiar expression. How could she cope if Faith ever found out about Harry's abnormality? She only prayed that Harry had never done anything weird in front of her.

"Oh, no. I always made him come home to my house when you were out and look at pictures of my cat. Delightful pets, cats. My favourite cat was my Felix. Lovely little thing, Felix is. It is a shame about Harry, I must say. Whenever I had him over he seemed like such a nice boy; I would never have figured him to be a criminal. Gave me quite a shock when I found out. It's such a pity."

Petunia pursed her lips again, but this time with contempt. "It's a pity, yes, but…" Petunia's eyes flickered around her furtively, assuring none would overhear. Her voice dropped a notch. "Well, I had an inkling from the beginning. With that sister of mine, Lily, and that layabout no-hoper Potter she married; it was really no wonder he turned out as such a bad egg."

Faith Wilshire was the only person aside from Petunia's family that knew about Lily and James Potter. Petunia liked to confide in the little old lady; she was always so sweet and called everyone 'dear'. Faith was also very understanding of her plight. Petunia told her everything, apart from the whole magic thing. She had no idea that Lily was a witch, and that Harry went to Hogwarts. When Harry had turned up on the Dursley's doorstep that fated night over 15 years ago, Mrs Wilshire had been the first person Petunia had turned to. 

Faith nodded sympathetically. "Hmmm, yes. You were quite correct."

"I think that school's having an effect on Harry. He's been having nightmares, and before he left became much more subdued than normal. Must be the cane," she laughed. Faith joined her and giggled.

"Oh, Petunia dear, is that the time? I really must dash and feed my cat. Been lovely talking to you. We should go for lunch one day, and catch up for a bit longer."

"Yes, of course. That sounds marvellous. Bye,"

"Goodbye, dear."

Faith paid for her groceries and exited the store quickly. She hopped in her car and drove home with a stony expression. When she arrived home, she waited until she had closed all the blinds and called out.

"Felix? Felix, dear, where are you? Come on, I picked up some chocolate milk at the store for you."

She sighed as she pushed her other cats out of the way. She didn't like Arabella Figg's cats nearly as much as she adored her little Felix. As Faith poured milk into a glass, she heard little paws padding softly across her kitchen floor. She smiled to herself as she fumbled in her handbag for something. She pulled the long, slender object out and ran her wrinkly, gnarled fingers along the polished wood surface. She waved her wand over her head and whispered a spell. Instantly, there was a flash of yellow light and her previous appearance was gone. 

Her skin had smoothed itself out and grown much more tanned, her hair turned from grey to brown with blonde highlights and had grown down to her shoulders, while a soft lilac robe replaced her demure, floral, little-old-lady-going-to-church-on-a-Sunday dress. She grew taller and her back straightened itself out, and her face was that of a pretty, middle-aged woman. That was what she really was. Felix meowed, and she nodded, waving her wand over him also.

Felix changed much more dramatically than she had. From a little kitten on the floor grew a handsome teenaged boy of about 15. He had bright eyes, and dark brown spiked hair. He wore tight black leather pants and a white silk shirt. 

"Mum. Stop calling me Felix. I'm only Felix to other people, remember?" he went over to the counter and started to drink the milk.

"Sorry, Lindsey. Well, I just spoke to Petunia today. Seems Harry's gone off to the Weasley's for the rest of the holiday, and then on to Hogwarts. Apparently he's having nightmares still. We should speak to Dumbledore." 

"I wish I could go to Hogwarts. I hate being in hiding."

"I hate it too, sweetie. But I'm an auror, and I really need to stay hidden. This is the perfect place to hide, so we can keep an eye on Harry and his family."

"But, mum, we are more his family than the Dursleys are. He just doesn't know it yet. I mean, you and dad are his-"

Lindsey stopped abruptly at the look of anguish on his mother's face. 

"I'm sorry, mum. I shouldn't have brought him up."

"No, it's quite all right, Lindsey. I totally agree with you. I just….I miss him so much…" she broke off, and willed her eyes not to fill with tears again.

"When you were little, before Lily and James were killed, we were all so happy, even though Voldemort was a huge threat. You've seen the photos of our parties over at the Potter's house. You three babies playing on the floor; us adults playing poker. All that was changed. He killed Lily and James and because of him I've lost my husband. Putting him in an awful place like that, it's just terrible. He's completely innocent: I know he is…was," Faith said fiercely. "Soon, his name will be cleared. We _will_ live a normal life."

Faith paused, and watched her son thoughtfully. Lindsey was a good boy. It saddened her that just because she was an auror and had a duty to fight evil, he wasn't allowed to live like a normal boy, or even a muggle boy. For heaven's sake, Lindsey wasn't even allowed to live like a human most of the time, in fear that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would discover that Faith Wilshire the Auror and her son were alive and still fighting evil. 

The woman's heart ached as she thought about her husband. She missed him so much, it hurt to think about him. Lindsey was getting older now, and was beginning to look more like his father every day. That thick, dark hair; those sparkling eyes and that attitude he had was so similar. He even had the same grin as his father had. Altogether, it wasn't a face one could easily forget. Lindsey should have a chance to go to Hogwarts like his father had. It was time to come out of hiding.

"Guess what, Lindsey?" The dark-haired teenager looked up from his glass of milk.

"I've been thinking about what's been happening at the moment, with Voldemort. It's clear I need to be very much on the job again, to fight evil." Lindsey nodded with understanding.

"I think so too, mum. Things are getting dangerous, and you're one of the best." His mother smiled.

"It's time for me to come out of hiding, and I think the safest place for you to be is at Hogwarts. You can finally meet Harry again, and maybe even meet Rose. But that's only an if. What do you think?" she took a deep breath, her eyes shining, and looked at her son. He frowned. She saw this, and then she frowned, too. What's this? He was supposed to be happy!

Lindsey looked up at his mother with big, puppy-dog eyes. "You mean I won't have to go around as a cat all the time?" he asked hopefully.

Faith laughed. "No, I promise. Just let me get you enrolled,"

With that, she swept over to a drawer in the living room. She pulled out a broken shard of crystal. Rubbing it thoughtfully, she closed her eyes with a sigh and remembered the conversation she had held with her associates, all those years ago.

The crystal shard brought back memories, and sad ones at that. Faith's past was hard, and not all too pleasant to dwell on. But looking at the fragment in her hand, Faith Wilshire knew she had to go back.

Albus had given her and all the others a shard of crystal each. He said that it was magical, a given considering this was Albus, and if any of them ever needed to use it they should use it to talk with him. 

Faith thought hard, trying to remember the incantation Dumbledore had told her. She remembered after a while, and set about using it. Truth be told, Faith had no idea whatsoever on what the crystal was, or what would happen. She shrugged to herself: she would find out in a minute. She whispered '_Wingardium Leviosa'_ and made the crystal shard float above her head. With a jerk of her wand, the crystal turned bright purple and shattered into a thousand pieces. Faith shrieked. That wasn't supposed to happen! She cursed to herself, and wondered how she was ever going to reach Albus now that she had broken the crystal, the one means she had of communicating with him. She didn't have any Floo Powder, it was just too risky. She covered her head with both hands, trying to protect herself from the rain of crystal shrapnel. None came. Looking up, she noticed that all the pieces of the crystal were staying where they were, suspended in the air. Lindsey had heard the commotion and came racing into the room. Then, Faith stopped looking. She froze, and so did Lindsey. They both frowned, listening to something. It was…a sort of whooshing noise. It was getting louder and louder, like something was approaching them. Then, it stopped.

__

Faith? Lindsey? How nice of you to call!

A young, female voice said. Lindsey's eyes widened and he started to pivot around in a circle, looking for the source of the voice. Faith just gaped. There was a giggle.

__

Lindsey, you're not going to find me. I'm in your head, and your mother's head, too. 

There was silence. All that could be heard for a moment was the meowing of some cats outside (who belonged to Mrs Figg and weren't actually humans, unlike Felix/Lindsey) and the steady ticking of the grandfather clock. Faith closed her mouth and then opened it suddenly to say, "Who…who are you?"

__

Oh! I'm Annabelle Rose. Call me Rose. I think you know me, actually, but last time you saw me I was a baby. I help Dumbledore – I'm in the Order. So, you want to know if Lindsey can come to Hogwarts so hewon't have to be a cat as much and if you can rejoin the ranks of Aurors and finally come out of hiding and see Harry again and try to redeem the name of your husband?

She said this all very quickly and lightly. Faith stifled chuckle. Rose seemed so happy, and had such a lovely, pretty, trustworthy voice! 

"Er, well, yes. That's about it."

__

Okay. Give me a minute, and I'll get back to you. Oh, Merlin, I sound like a secretary! She laughed, and then was gone. Faith was just standing still with a look of amusement written on her features, while Lindsey wore an expression of sheer delight.

"WICKED! I love magic!" he cried.

His mother grinned slyly. Having to live his life as a cat, Lindsey didn't get to see, let alone date girls much. The furthest he had ever gotten with a girl involved her picking him up on the street, stroking his fur and squealing, 'Oooh! Kitty!' or something to that effect. He was a teenage boy, though, and that was one of the reasons he needed to go to Hogwarts: to be around other people, including girls. Those wacky hormones. Arabella snickered.

"Are you sure magic is all you love? Not a certain female voice you're hearing right now?" Lindsey's expression darkened, his face flushing brilliantly. He glared at his mother mutinously. There was a faint giggling, and Rose was back.

__

Sorry, Lindsey, but I'm not allowed to date. Now, to business. Dumbledore says you can come! Lindsey, since you have been educated at home, you will be joining as a sixth year. How exciting, you'll be with Harry. Now, Faith, there are rooms here for you to stay in. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. You can arrive straight away, if you like. Pack your things and go to Diagon Alley. Wait in the Leaky Cauldron, and someone'll meet you there. Next time you need me, just think about me.

A/N

Yes, if you've read this before I changed it; you'll notice its very different. Fear not read on.


	8. Order and Death

FLASHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15 years ago, OotP meeting

Dumbledore had stood at the head of the table in the circular room in Hogwarts. He had a sad look on his face. He addressed the small group of people gathered around the table. Their numbers had been sadly diminished. Lily and James Potter had been killed, and Sirius Black was missing, probably mourning somewhere privately. It was a sombre mood that day, all the adults were just staring sadly at a crystal held in the hands of a baby girl sitting on the table. The baby was crying, and gripping the crystal tightly, even though it was almost bigger than she was. It was glowing a luminous green, and so was the little girl. A man held his wife as her whole body shook in grief. Dumbledore shook his head.

"By now, all of you must know the news. Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow three hours ago, and killed Lily and James Potter." He paused as there was an audible sob from the woman in the corner. Dumbledore's eyes glistened with unshed tears. It would not do to be weak in front of his charges. Still, his heart was breaking, like there was suddenly a huge hole inside him from their deaths. Instead, he bit his lip on the inside of his mouth and frowned mournfully. 

"I'm so sorry, Dorothy, Thomas. But there was nothing we cold have done. It is a sad day indeed. The one good thing is Voldemort has finally had his downfall. Lily and James's deaths may have saved us all."

The woman burst into tears and sunk down to the floor. "But James was my baby, and now he's…he's…" she couldn't finish. Dumbledore closed his eyes to hide his pain. Voldemort was defeated, but at terrible price. Everyone was falling to pieces with grief. He drew a breath resolutely and began his speech.

"We are the Order of the Phoenix. We have achieved our aim, and brought down our foe. Lily and James were both powerful Aurors; they knew of the danger their jobs posed when they joined us. They both fought bravely, and died like heroes. It is hard, I know, but we must move on. It is the only way to live."

The man in the corner gripped his wife as she cried silently and buried her face in his chest. He had red eyes, and could cry no more. 

"There, there, Dot. Our James died well, and saved us all. Don't worry, our son's happy now, with Lily." Dorothy Potter, or Dot nodded sadly, and drew a shaky breath.

"I know, Tom." She sniffed and raised her head bravely. "Our main concern at the moment is Harry. Where do we put him? He was the one who deflected the Avada Kedavra, and stopped Voldemort."

A very young Faith Wilshire was seated a few metres away at the great table, and narrowed her eyes in thought. 

"Hmm. Even if Voldemort is gone, there are still some Death Eaters who'll stay loyal to him. If that's true, there's a huge chance they would come after Harry. That child is in terrible danger. He'd be a target to any dark witch or wizard in the world."

Minerva McGonagall was across from her, and gasped. "Albus and I sent him to live with Lily's muggle family, the Dursleys. They live somewhere in Surrey. I have to say, they aren't the type of people who scream 'magic'. If memory serves, Petunia Evans always hated Lily for being a witch. I think he should be safe there. What do you think, Remus?"

Lupin had always been the voice of sense and logic in the Order of the Phoenix at their meetings, and even now, when he was grieving the deaths of his best friends, he was no different. Remus felt a lump in his throat, but spoke his piece.

"You're right, Minerva. He should be kept safe there. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have a few Aurors close by, would it? We should dispatch some of us in his street just to keep a vigilant eye on him; take care of the spells Dumbledore cast. Who should it be?" 

Everyone looked around. None of the Order of the Phoenix was really available for this mission. Dumbledore and McGonagall were both busy at Hogwarts; as was the Order's seer, Sybill Trelawney. James and Lily were dead, obviously. Lupin couldn't live in Privet Drive because of his lycanthropic condition: no one said it aloud, but they were all thinking how it wouldn't be good if a werewolf bit a muggle. Several others were active Aurors at the Ministry of Magic, and if they left their positions the Order would be discovered. Dorothy and Thomas Potter had been put through enough already, and had to look after the other baby. The only others were Sirius Black and his wife, Faith. He was absent from this meeting. Faith raised an eyebrow and stood up slowly.

"I think Sirius and I would be good. We are, after all, his godparents. I just need to tell Sirius, and we'll be right there."

Minerva nodded earnestly. "That's an excellent idea. But for safety's sake, you should do a basic glamour spell to hide your appearance. No one must find out who you are. You two, and little Lindsey you have there," she added, gesturing to the little bundle wrapped in Faith's arms. Dot stood, wanting to help any way she could. She pulled out her wand and whispered a spell over Faith's head, swishing her wand in an arc. Yellow sparks appeared, and where the woman had stood before, now stood a little old lady with a tiny black kitten clutched in her arms. Faith bit her lip.

"I'll call him Felix when he's a cat. Cute little thing, isn't he? I'll perform the spell on Sirius when he comes back. I don't know where he is right now…probably off somewhere mourning. I just need to talk to him."

Sybill Trelawny had been staring wide-eyed and unblinkingly at the other baby - the one in the middle of the table - until this moment. She gasped and then rasped out,

"Something terrible will happen. The Dark Lord's servant is angry, and quick to clear his name. I had a vision, looking at the child. A curse, an explosion…muggles. Today is Friday thirteenth, and there are thirteen deaths today. I saw Sirius," she added disbelievingly. Arabella sucked in air harshly. Why was her husband involved in this vision? Sybill nodded and continued weakly, suddenly drained.

"It will be in England…somewhere near Kent. You must go, now!"

Everyone at the table stood up quickly and began to pour out of the white, spherical room. As Dumbledore passed Sybill, she stuck her arm out sharply, and grabbed his elbow. She pulled at him, and he bent down to her level. His face was a picture of worry, the wrinkles of his face accentuated by the frown lines tugging at his forehead and mouth. She closed her eyes, and held up her palm to the baby on the table, like one does when feeling the heat from a fire. Sybill breathed in deeply, and whispered,

"Albus. This one, she has power. The crystal is bound to her. Magic radiates from Rose here, even as a baby. We should expect great things from her. She is already a member of the Order of the Phoenix: it's in her blood. She will be a great asset. But," she added dramatically, and her eyes snapped open. She stared at Rose.

Albus frowned. "But?" he prodded gently. He needed to hear this, but had to leave immediately. Now was not the best time for his seer to have a vision, as they were lengthy at best and provoked a lot of thought afterwards, leaving little time for other pastimes such as saving people.

She clapped a hand to her brow and went on, "She would also be an asset for evil. She must never be found, and she is a threat to other people. She has to remain a secret within the Order."

Dumbledore bit his lip in thought. 

"All the same, Sybill, she must have an education. The safest place for her to be is here, at Hogwarts. I sense something odd about her, too," he added as an afterthought, cocking his grey head to one side thoughtfully. "She has been poisoned by evil, and could hurt others by accident. She can live here, and learn about magic under our supervision. We will give her private classes, when she is old enough, and she will join our ranks in the Order."

Sybill smiled. Dumbledore was always the man with the plan. 

"So little, and already a fighter. Rose is a gift." With that, Sybill closed her eyes wearily and picked up her wand with a shaky hand.

"After this, I don't think we will be needed again for a long time. Harry has defeated Voldemort. Our Order will disperse, and shall remain a secret." She gave her wand a jerky flick to the right, and the crystal that Rose's tiny figure was clinging to had many smaller, pocket-sized shards broken off it. Dumbledore swept them up from the tabletop where they lay. Handing one to Sybill, he murmured,

"We shall use these for communication once all this is over." He stared at Rose one last time before leaving the room.

"And Rose shall be our Link."

A/N

Eeeeeeeeeeek who knew that Lindsey was Sirius's son??? WHO??? 


	9. Surprises

The rest of the week at the Weasleys flew past quickly for Harry. Far too quickly, in his opinion. He was enjoying every minute of his life there, and didn't want to miss anything. Before he knew it, it was the 31st. Harry awoke early that morning to hear some quiet whispering somewhere near him. He had been awake all night thinking about things: Rose; Ron and Hermione's new-found relationship, Death Eaters and above all, this new class. 

Psyche sounded interesting. Well, no. That would be a lie. It sounded great! Harry couldn't wait to start learning about everything he could. What really caught his attention was who the teacher would be. It must be a new professor, since he knew all the present ones. He thought back to what the older Weasley boys had said about the 'visual aids' as they called it. They weren't being awfully forthcoming with information, and maintained that the three sixth years would be pleasantly surprised. This last comment was aimed at Ron and Harry especially. 

Harry sighed and rolled over. Ron's room suddenly became deathly quiet, like the person whispering had gone away. He looked around, and noted that Ron and Hermione were both gone. He reasoned they must have left early, but remembered that this was Ron he was talking about, and this was never going to happen. Wait - no. That couldn't be right. Harry's internal clock told him it was very late indeed – he must've slept like a log all morning. He shouldn't have spent all night thinking- the lack of sleep was evident in his slow movements. 

He frowned to himself and slowly sat up, reaching around for his glasses blindly. His hands strayed along the floor, but to no avail. Uh-oh. Glasses gone? Not good at all. He felt a little stab of panic in his chest. Sight was a gift that most people took for granted. Harry could really appreciate sight at times like this, as he was starting to feel very vulnerable. What was he supposed to do all day if he was as good as blind?

He groaned with resignation, grumbling to himself, "Fabulous. It's my birthday and I can't see a thing –"

With a jolt, he checked over in his mind what he had just said. It was his birthday! Then he realised with another jolt that he wasn't at the Dursleys. With a third and final jolt he put together the fact that he was at the Weasleys with his best friends and the closest to a family he'd ever had. Harry paused for a moment to let his mind wander, and made a note to himself to stop that jolting thing so often. Really, he thought dryly, if I don't stop that soon, I'm going to give myself a heart attack one day. 

With that, he thought about all the people trying to kill him and how funny it would be if he died of jolting himself to death instead. In some twisted way, it seemed very ironic. The mere notion of this sent him over the edge. Harry doubled over laughing to himself.

Your mind works in a strange way. Came a soft voice from inside Harry's head. Harry jolted.

"Rose? Is that you?" he thought to himself.

How many other people do you hear inside your head? Came a rhetorical reply in a singsong voice. Harry grinned.

"Oh, three or so…" There was an eerie silence.

__

Touchè. Came the pensive answer.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, okay. I think I can safely say it's you. What's up?"

I came to wish you a very happy birthday. She faltered, as if searching for words. _After all, it's not everyday you turn sixteen… _

"How old are you, Rose?" asked Harry, wanting to change the subject, as she was beginning to space out on him.

Oh, the same age as you. Sorry, I can't tell you much more than that. You're really not supposed to know anything about me.

"Huh?" came Harry's stumped reply.

If you're going to get technical on me, I'm…uh…well, I'm actually strictly forbidden to speak with you unless you're in an emergency and I have to get permission first. Hee hee. I'm bad to the bone. She began awkwardly, finishing with a mischievous giggle. 

"What? How come? Who said?" cried Harry.

__

Oh, Rose began in a breezy voice, 

Dumbledore, if you must know. He'll never know. I'll never tell. When you go back to Hogwarts, don't let it slip that I'm maintaining contact, please?

Harry felt a bit dazed, but conceded. "Yeah, okay. Fine. You're a real rebel, to openly defy Dumbledore like that. Why?"

There was a light snicker. _Yeah, right. Me, a rebel? Not very likely. _There was a pause.

__

Uh-oh! I gotta go now…someone's coming. Sorry, I have to say bye. I'll talk to you later. I'll probably know beforehand, but if you need to talk to me, just think really hard and I'll answer. Happy birthday, Harry! 

Harry frowned in concentration, but there was nothing more. Like a radio that had fizzled out of sound, he could no longer hear anything. He sighed, and reached up to the ceiling in a stretch. He ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair. He still had no glasses. Yawning widely, with a contented grin on his face, Harry started to fumble his way blindly around the room, dimly hoping that was the door he was headed for. He would be very sad indeed if he tried to walk out of the several-storey high window in Ron's room overlooking the hens' keep.

After tem minutes of smacking into walls and falling down stairs, Harry slapped his forehead in disbelief. Was he really that thick? Wouldn't calling for help be a better idea than getting hurt? A resounding yes. Smiled sheepishly to himself, Harry took a breath. 

"Ron? 'Mione? Anyone? Erm…I lost my glasses. Can someone help me please?" Usually in the Weasley household, he would at least have two people coming to his aid by now. 

Two minutes later. Must be a little slow. Five minutes later, he reasoned they must all be outside and sighed as he began his descent of the treacherous stairs again. 

After falling down many stapes, his eyes were beginning to adjust a little. He could make out most things, even if they were a little hazy round the edges. He walked into the kitchen to see if anyone was there, but the spotless room was deserted. Mystified, the lonely birthday boy trudged into the lounge room, which was strangely dark. 

All of a sudden, something grasped his ankle. Harry let out a yelp of surprise and flung his arms out. The lasso grip tightened and threw him off his balance. Harry scrunched his eyes and prepared his hands preparing for a fall, but it never came. Instead, he was hoisted off his feet so he was dangling from the ceiling by his ankle with his head one foot from the carpet. 

"AARGGHH! WHAT THE…!?" he yelled, and as he swung backwards and forwards, trying desperately to see what had happened. Dazed and shocked, he cast his gaze around until he found the most likely people to blame. Standing in a semicircle were all of the Weasleys, surrounded by bright lights and streamers. Standing in the front were Ron, Fred and George; laughing their heads off. Hermione and Ginny were off to the left a bit, rolling around the floor giggling with mirth. Ginny was holding his glasses in one hand. The rest of the Weasleys, who were older and supposedly more mature, were chuckling along with them. All at one, they all cried as one,

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!!!"

When Harry was released and all his blood had rushed out of his head and back into his body, his face turned into a permanent grin and he thanked everyone profusely. He looked at the Weasleys (and Hermione) and beamed.

"You know, this is my first birthday party," Harry said proudly. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Rose sighed and stood up. She was wearing a long white dress, which one might almost call a nightgown if not for the distinct lack of lace. It swirled around her gracefully as she moved. Rose looked down and examined herself. She was very pretty. It was a shame, really. As she had so much extra time and no one to share it with, she aimed for perfection. She was hardly allowed to associate with anyone – and those select few had to all be members of the Order. Well, that was the general rule. 

She had never been out of these three rooms for the majority of her life, as she was brought here when she was only a baby. The three rooms were the Meeting Room, the Sphere and her bedroom. The Meeting Room was where all the Order of the Phoenix meeting were held. Well, they used to be. The new Headquarters was now in the House of Black, and had been for about year now. So, she had all the rooms to herself. It was a very magical room, and had a rich and noble history. 

The Sphere was her own room where, as the name suggests, it was a complete sphere. The walls were perfectly round and white. Not many muggles knew, but science is a magic. Just as light bounces off white, so does thought. Rose was a clairvoyant, and her powers were greatly magnified inside the dome. The round shape gathered energy centred all this extra power on her. Inside the Sphere, with the help of her crystal, Rose could talk to anyone on the planet telepathically. 

Her favourite room by far was her bedroom. One couldn't tell what colour it was at all unless she let some real light in. Although it was a hypnotic mix of swirling blues and purple, Rose was not allowed windows in case someone outside looked in and saw her. To make up for this, delicate faerie lights drifting around the room brightened the room. 

Dumbledore interrupted her thoughts as he walked in and cocked an eyebrow at her with a twinkle in his glance.

"What are you doing in here, my dear?" 

She smiled furtively. "Just exercising my Inner Eye, Professor. You know I have to practice." 

Dumbledore smiled, and gave her a knowing look that said he didn't believe her. She toyed with the pink crystal she had held in her hand. It looked so much like a regular rose-quartz crystal, but both of them knew it had a much less innocent background.

The old man smiled. She was so young, and held so much power. During the last two years, Albus became increasingly dependent on Rose. He never made any big decision about Hogwarts, the Ministry or the Order without her. Albus was a wise man: he had learnt very early on that to make conclusions or judgements of any kind, one must first obtain facts and all possible insights. Before a decision, he had to know all the potential outcomes. Here came in his two seers. Sybill Trelawney could foresee the result of any decision, and Rose would read the minds of those involved in a way much more effective than Legimency and relay any information she could gather. 

Before the last two years, her main occupation was to tell Dumbledore anything he didn't know that happened around the school: when the kitchens were low on food, when a teacher wasn't feeling well, who was behind the latest prank held. Although, that was usually the Weasleys, so Dumbledore didn't need Rose's telepathic link to tell him that. A huge job of hers was to keep track of all the points taken from and given to the houses. Whenever a teacher yelled out a change in points, she concentrated hard on the teacher who said it and altered the hourglasses in the Great Hall accordingly. 

She had been taught magic as any other young witch should; except her lessons were in private every evening, with her professors. None of the students knew that she existed. 

Or that she lived right above them in the North tower.

A/N

I never shut up, do I? Anyhoo, plz review and I'm bound to write loads more! A motivated writer is a happy writer! 


	10. Family Bonding

Draco Malfoy waited.

He sat on the expensive silk lounge in his lounge, muscles tense; jaw clenched. He would make his move tonight. Tonight. That was supposed to be a comforting thought, but instead it filled him with unease and anxiety. What would he do if his father came home from the meeting early? If his father caught him in the act of rescuing the girl that Voldemort wanted so much? He tried to steel himself against doubt and just get the job done without any thoughts of 'what-if'. It was too terrible to think about.

Draco Malfoy waited. 

He would save her tonight and escape to Hogwarts. Surely, Albus Dumbledore would help them? It was true that he was a Malfoy: nothing would change that. Yet, Dumbledore was the forgiving type of man one couldn't help admiring. All in all, Draco didn't care for his father or Voldemort at all. He just wanted the poor girl to be safe and happy again. He never thought about this type of pain before, the pain inflicted by the Death Eaters. Lucius thought his son would be one of them, too: he would be in for a shock when he came home tomorrow morning to find them gone.

Draco Malfoy waited.

Currently, he was not over concerned with the fear of the task at hand. It was how he was feeling right now. Right this minute, Lucius was down in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor torturing her. Lucius was convinced that if he hurt her enough, she would bend to his wishes and join with his master. That would stop tonight; meanwhile, Draco had to listen to her blood-curdling shrieks and screams, trademark of Lucius's use of the Cruciatus curse. 

Draco Malfoy waited.

He heard the pain in her voice. Heard the despair, the sadness and the self-pity. He felt helpless, and no one made a Malfoy feel helpless without paying for it. He wondered if his cousin, the one person he loved in the world, thought that he would join Voldemort and side with those who were torturing her. His stomach twisted horribly when he thought of that. No! She loved him back, and would never think such a thing. His cousin must expect him to save her. 

Draco Malfoy waited. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Aurora Malfoy was not waiting: far from it, in fact. The pain beat around her skull like a thousand hammers inside her head, constantly pounding. They beat at her again and again and again, never stopping, never lifting. Her mouth was open in an eternal scream, but she had not lost her voice in all the weeks she had been captive here. Aurora would never, ever join the scum her uncle was part of. 'Voldemort' was a dirty word where she came from: whereas in the normal world, it was simply feared. 

Aurora had been locked up here for three weeks now. Every day she was put under the cruciatus curse. Of course, being only a fifteen-year-old girl and not a strong one at that, it was not meant to prepare her for Death. She was subjected to the curse so that she would become weak and bend to the Dark Lord's wishes. By that, it meant she would have to join the Death Eaters. 

Lucius had started thinking it was great fun, torturing her; until he started thinking that she would not turn. It had been ages now, and still he had not broken her resolve. She was strong-willed, but one can only stand so much. While some brave witches and wizards grit their teeth and decided to bear the pain, so as not to give any satisfaction to the Death Eaters, Aurora was different. She cared not for any pride or dignity at this point, and she found the only true way of expressing her pain was to scream it out so damn loudly, even Lucius grew tiresome. 

Her room was dark. There was not one trace of light in her confining space, which was so small and inhumane it could hardly be called a cell anymore. There was no bed, no food and no water. 

Water. That was the one thing that made her groan. As her whole family knew, she was not a pure blood. She wasn't even a half-blood, although she wasn't a muggle-born. In truth, Aurora was half Fey. This means she was only half human. Her mother was Morganna Malfoy, Lucius's sister. Morganna was not evil like her brother, although she possessed several traits that distinguished her as a Malfoy. Where she was cunning, she was also thoughtful. Whenever she was wicked, she came across with more of a child-like naughtiness rather than pure evilness like Lucius. Morganna was never cruel, and refused to join Voldemort when her father told her to.

Morganna married a sprite. Well, not really. She married the High King of the Water Sprites and Sea Nymphs, Poseidon XII, and became Queen. She had a daughter and called her Aurora. The King had no last name to carry on, so she kept the title Malfoy. However, the King had a conversation with Morganna when Aurora was born, concerning her title and role in life.

FLASHY!!!!!!!!!!!! When Aurora was just born.

Morganna had sat upon the underwater throne that was hers as Queen of the Water Sprites and all those others who dwelled under the sea. To her husband she was just Morganna, but to her subjects she was called "Queen Morgan le Fay", as she was the first witch to marry a Fey King. Some of the sprites that grew up familiar with the tale of Camelot thought it was a fitting title for such a woman. Like the notorious Morgan from the Arthurian legend, she too was powerful; although Morganna was not quite as evil. 

It was quite a shock for her to suddenly have to live underwater. In order for this to work out, Morganna had to be initiated as part of the water sprite community using magic known only to those water dwellers. Now, it felt normal for her to live in water. The gentle waves sung songs to her and the beauty under the sea made her feel sometimes like she was dreaming. 

Cradled in her arms was the little form of a baby girl, Aurora. She looked human. The main physical difference between water sprites and humans was that water sprites had flawless pale blue skin. They all had dark blue eyes and their hair was usually blue or green too. They also had an obvious aura around them too: the bluer they were, the more powerful. However, if they were to get out of water one couldn't see the aura at all. Aurora had a wonderful, sparkling blue aura.

The High King Poseidon XII, her beloved husband, entered the blue room. He smiled sadly as he looked at his daughter, the Princess. She truly was a princess in this place. Her middle name was Artemisia, after the goddess of the Moon and the Hunt. The moon controlled the tides, and was very important to the water people. Poseidon sighed and cleared his throat. He loved his wife and daughter so very much - this was not going to be easy.

"Morganna, love, I need to discuss something with you."

The Queen bit her lip anxiously. She had been waiting for an opportunity like this. "Yes, Poseidon. I need to talk with you also. It is very important."

The King looked surprised. Did she know already? "Well, my Queen, you go first."

Morganna frowned with her gaze downcast. She felt a lump in her throat that was hard to speak around. There were horrible butterflies in her stomach. One way or another, this was important.

"Well, as much as I love it here, I don't think it's safe for me and Aurora to live here in the Palace any more."

There was a brief period of stunned silence. Then, to Morganna's surprise, the King nodded sadly and sat down heavily. He gazed wearily over to his wife and grimaced.

"This has to do with You-Know-Who, hasn't it, Morganna?"

She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. "Well, yes and no. He has a lot to do with it, but there are other things as well."

"Such as?"

"Well, look at the Princess. Aurora may possess many Water Sprite powers, but she looks human. I can already feel that she is a proper witch. She may benefit by learning both of her magicks. Also, more importantly, my brother Lucius knows we're here. He is in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and has sent a letter telling me how he wants to harness Aurora's power. His master wants Aurora to serve him, and thinks he can turn the whole Water Sprite community to join his side. We cannot let this happen."

Poseidon looked grave as he took the child from Morganna gently. Aurora gurgled happily as she was passed into her father's arms. He tutted softly. 

"This is what I came to speak with you about. Some of our sources have told me that you are both under threat. The Death Eaters have killed many people, and I have heard a prophecy concerning our Princess. She must grow up away from this danger."

Morganna nodded sadly. "Than it shall be as you say. Mark my words, Lucius will never take my child."

End FLASHY!!!!!!!!!!! Back to the present. 

Well, it had happened. Aurora had been caught. Morganna was murdered by Lucius Malfoy, her own brother, as her daughter watched on helplessly. There was no way out. Aurora was as good as dead. 


	11. Save Me

The antique Grandfather clock in the parlour of Malfoy Manor chimed eight o'clock. The tall man swept down the hall in a swift, fluid movement, his robes flowing behind him. He walked with a spring in his step towards the door, where he waited and impatiently tapped his foot.

"Narcissa, dear, _do_ hurry up. The Ball shall be starting soon. We wouldn't want to keep our Lord waiting, now do we?" he said with a twisted smirk. Lucius knew full well that his wife felt ill every time she had to see Voldemort. The party held down the road with the Marlows' was no exception. She was no Death Eater, but one of the flock that followed him begrudgingly. 

Narcissa paused at the top of the stairs leading down into the parlour and scowled. Lucius was so patronising; she just hated it. She readjusted her brilliantly glittering shawl around her shoulders and reluctantly began down the stairs.

"Heavens no, Lucius. Whatever was I thinking," she said bitterly and turned to see her son at the other side of the room.

"Goodbye, Draco. We'll be home late. Be good," she said with a smirk and a wink, and hurried out the door. Lucius merely nodded to him and slammed the heavy oak door with a thud. 

Draco's heart gave a great thump along with the door. He stood in silence for a few minutes, listening carefully for his parents to depart. Then, all at once, his mind screamed, 'NOW! Now's your chance!'

Heart trip-hammering, Draco took a deep, shaky breath that was intended to be calming but only succeeded in making him feel decidedly dizzy and lightheaded. Adrenaline was rushing through his body as he gulped, and began to run. He had lived at the Manor ever since he could remember, but now, as he ran towards the dungeons underground, everything looked different. Shadows he had never taken notice to before loomed out at him, and the hallways that seemed regal and familiar to Draco in the past were now cold and distant, as if the walls themselves were trying to convince him that what he was doing was wrong and stupid. 

__

'NO,' he told himself firmly, 'what Lucius is doing is wrong. I'm going to stop this right now'. Three minutes later, he was standing outside her door. 

The door itself was heavy oak, but it needn't have been. There were enormous locks on the door, but they were all undone. Any muggle would have thought this stupid, to have a dungeon with a prisoner inside completely open. But Lucius was a wizard, and a clever one at that. His altered Cruiatus curse stripped the victim, Aurora, of all her free will. All she could think about the pain she was in, and so she had no means of getting out herself.

Presently, Draco pushed the door open hesitantly. A small shaft of light filtered into the room, illuminating a small and crumpled figure sitting curled up in the corner. As he stepped into the cell, he could hear nothing but her ragged breathing punctuated with sobs and the frantic beating of his own heart in his ears. Shaking, he slowly inched towards Aurora. Her whole body was stiff as a board, and her breathing paused. He took a breath.

"Aurora?"

There was no response, except that she started to quiver a little. He tried again.

"Aurora, it's me, Draco. Can you hear me?"

There was nothing for a few seconds, which to Draco seemed like an eternity. He felt despair begin to eat at him. Then, his stomach felt like it dropped to the floor when he heard the whispered, accusatory reply.

"One of them…"

Draco's eyes widened as he quickly thought over his whole life. Never had he ever been told something as terrible as this. Now, going to school with that stupid oaf Weasley, Draco Malfoy had been called all manners of terrible things, and been accused of many awful things. But Aurora, sweet Aurora, he never thought he would hear this kind of accusation from her. Then, his eyes narrowed.

"NO! Aurora, look at me." He demanded, and grabbed her shoulder as he swung her around to face him. He took hold of the other shoulder with his spare hand and began to shake her slightly. He took one look at her face and gasped slightly. 

Her normally pale face was ashen, and her beautiful blue eyes were dull and full of pain. They were out of focus and gave Draco the impression she was slightly hallucinating at the same time. There was a trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Aurora's face was horribly thin, as she had not eaten for a couple of days. Only a small, merciful spell cast by Narcissa when Lucius wasn't looking was keeping her from starving to death. Draco bit his lip and a look of pain and worry washed over his features. 

"Listen to me, Aurora. I am here to save you. I am not, and will never be one of the kind Lucius is. Don't ever, ever think that. I'm here for you. You need to believe me. Do you want to come with me now? I can take you somewhere safe, free from this. Do you trust me?"

He spoke this passionately, with a look of fierce determination etched upon his features. Draco's silver eyes searched through her blue ones, looking for and answer. She focussed on him for a moment, nodded mutely, then burst into tears and clung to him helplessly, burying her face in his chest. 

A look of pure relief crossed Draco's face. He pulled her up from the floor and supported his dear cousin with a feeling of elation and hope.

"Great. Can you walk? We need to go right now." Draco's voice held a slight edge of urgency to it. He waited for a second and then frowned when she gave no indication of hearing him.

"'Misia?" he called her the pet name that he had started using when they were young. It was easier for him to shorten Artemisia than use her full name. The use of this name reminded Draco of happier times and it gave him comfort. Still, she gave no response. 

Then she slumped slowly next to him and he swore as he quickly swept her up in his arms, his Quidditch reflexes coming in handy. Because she had no eaten in so long, she was freakishly light and weak. She was smiling in a weird way, looking up at her cousin in an unseeing manner. Draco's brow furrowed with confusion. What was wrong? Then her mouth opened and she began to speak in a sinuous, sing-song voice very unlike her own.

"Who rides there so late, through the night dark and drear? 

The father it is, with his infant so dear.

He holdeth the boy tightly clasp'd in his arm,

He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm." 

At this she giggled maniacally. At once Draco realised that she was delirious. He swore and began to make his way to the fire as fast as he could. When he got there he grabbed his wand and summoned all his belongings to him. He wasn't overly concerned about breaking the Underage use of magic law – in Malfoy Manor, no spells could ever be detected by the Ministry. He shrank all his things into a pocket size lump and shoved it into the deep folds of his cloak. Then, grabbing a fistful of Floo Powder, Draco Malfoy threw it into the fire and yelled, "Hogwarts!" before disappearing with Aurora held in his arms into the flames. He never once looked back. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rose was brushing her teeth getting ready for bed when she felt a headache coming on. 

"Oww!" she cried, and clasped her hands to her temples. Finishing up quickly, she walked into her bedroom and sat upon her bed cradling her head in her hands with her eyes firmly shut. She began to groan softly, and groped around for her crystal. It had to be there somewhere. When she felt the cold, smooth surface touch her fingertips, she grasped it firmly and began to let her mind wonder to where all the fuss was about.

Surprisingly, she found her mind had taken her to the Great Hall. There, lying on the floor unconscious, was a very sickly looking blonde girl. Next to her was a boy. Rose frowned when she realised this was Draco Malfoy. What the heck was he doing here?

With a rush, Rose's mind took her back to her body in the tower. She opened her eyes and began to rub the crystal thoughtfully as she began to use her telepathy. Dumbledore would know what to do. 

__

Professor? She began timidly. _Are you there?_

There was a pause, then she heard him respond.

"Yes, child? What is it, sweetheart?"

__

Ah…well, Draco Malfoy and a girl I don't know are both in the Great Hall. I really think you need to talk to him. Oh, and bring Madame Pomfrey. The girl needs some medical attention.

A stunned silence developed for a second before he answered, "All right, thank you very much, child." And then he was gone. Rose shook her head. This was weird.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Draco Malfoy opened his eyes and saw Aurora lying next to him in a heap on the floor of the Great Hall. He jumped up and started to help lift her up as well. He picked her up and turned around to see Professor Dumbledore, the very person he needed right now, standing right behind him. This caught him off guard.

"Professor! Erm…hello. Could we talk?"

Albus's eyes twinkled as he nodded and said simply, "Of course. My office. However, I think your friend here needs some attention in the hospital wing." At this he sobered, and conjured up a stretcher that hovered in the air. Madame Pomfrey came rushing around the corner, and looked at Aurora with shock. 

"Albus, what…?"

"Poppy, could you take care of her in the hospital wing please?" The old Nurse tutted softly, and pulling out her wand directed the form of Aurora towards the Hospital wing. Draco's eyes followed her as her levitated body was guided out of sight.

He looked back at Dumbledore and the old man gestured silently for Draco to follow him. As they swept along the various corridors and hallways, Draco's mind was swimming. What if he was in trouble? Where would he go now, since he couldn't go home? Would Dumbledore let them stay? What if Aurora never got better?

At this last thought he choked back a groan. Malfoys never groaned. But, considering what type of person Lucius was, he wasn't too sure he wanted to be one any more. Before he knew it, he was sitting in Dumbledore's office. He started when he heard the old man speak.

"Mr Malfoy. I believe there is something you need to tell me." From then on, it was all a dull blur. Draco let loose everything and poured his troubles out. 

The boy told Dumbledore how his father was a Death Eater, how he escaped Azkaban and that wanted Aurora to join Voldemort. Lucius' cruel treatment of her and her present condition was a main point. He told of Aurora's past and her powers, and emphasised how much she was innocent and needed help.

At the end of his monologue, Dumbledore's eyes held no sparkle; only sadness.

"Of course you two can stay here. Aurora can enrol here as a student, where she will be safe. Now, Mr Malfoy, we need to talk about _you._" Draco's heart made a huge ka-thump sound and he could have sworn it jumped into his throat. 'What about me?' He thought, and raised an eyebrow that did not reveal his panic. Dumbledore frowned.

"I am very pleased that you have decided to join the ranks of good, despite your circumstances. You and your cousin, Aurora, can stay in your dorm and are free to go about the grounds as you like until term begins. There is one condition though, Mr Malfoy."

Draco swallowed. This was better than he expected. 

"And what might that be, Professor?"

"That you trust me and do what I say."

Draco grinned. This was almost too perfect. Almost.

"Sounds good to me." 

A/N

Helloooooo! You know, if people actually REVIEWED every once and a while I might have something interesting to say here. Oh well, I'll make do.

Disownership in this chapter apart from the regular: The poem Aurora recited when she was delirious was an extract from "**The Erl King",** by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, 1782.

When delirious and/or hallucinating, quote ominous poetry. Hey, works for me.


	12. Visitors

Lindsey stood facing Hogwarts castle with a look of awe. 'Awe' used in the strictest sense, as his jaw was hanging wide open and his eyes were slightly popped. Faith laughed, and bounded across the lawn like a six-year-old to embrace her old friend.

"Albus! It's so good to see you!" she shrieked, and gave Dumbledore an enormous hug around the middle that made him 'ooof' loudly. He smiled, and gave her a big hug in return.

"Welcome, Faith, welcome. It does my old heart good to have you here again."

Faith rolled her eyes. "You're not that old. You're still sharp as anything. And looking in prime shape," she added with a mischievous wink. 

"Indeed?" Dumbledore chuckled into his beard. He held out a hand to Lindsey, who was still just staring. 

"And you must be Lindsey. I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Welcome to our world." At this he stretched forth a hand in a warm reception. Lindsey took the hand and shook it in greeting. He grinned.

"Thanks. I think I'll love it here."

Dumbledore chuckled, eyes twinkling. "I have to say, young man, you look remarkably like your father. Let's hope you don't make quite so much mischief as Mr Sirius Black did when he was here." 

Faith smiled sadly and snickered. "Good Luck," she said sarcastically, knowing full well that Lindsey and trouble went hand-in-hand. They walked towards the boats on the lake together, where Hagrid was already waiting with the luggage. After Faith launched herself at Hagrid for another hugging fest and Lindsey had stopped gaping at Hagrid's size, they all set off across the lake towards the castle. 

They had decided to stay back in Surrey until term started, because of all the things Faith had to do. For starters, she had to fake her own death, pack up everything, sell the house under a different name and organise how she was going to live from then on. It had been a very busy time. As well as that, Faith had to plan her classes. It had been a surprise at first, but when Albus had offered her the position of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, she had been very willing. Now, it was 8:30 in the morning, and all the students would be arriving in a few short hours. 

As they walked through the doors into the Great Hall, Faith was hit with an enormous wave of nostalgia. She remembered what it was like when she was here as a student, before the Dark Days, where she and Sirius had been happy and young. She bit her lip and pulled a face. She felt it was a bit immature, but Faith couldn't help but let out a long and drawn-out 'awwww' when she looked around. 

Dumbledore frowned in thought, and appeared to be concentrating on something. Then he chuckled softly and held out an arm.

"Lindsey, Faith, would you care to accompany me up to the tower to meet Rose? I'm sure she would be delighted. She's never really had visitors before." Lindsey's face broke out into a wide grin. 

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

Faith made another 'awwww' sound and smiled. "I haven't seen her since she was a little baby. That was 15 years ago! Let's go!"

However, Dumbledore was not finished yet. 

"I must ask you, though, not to breathe a word about her to anyone- and I mean _anyone._ Even some people in the Order don't know about Rose. Her entire existence is a total secret." Lindsey looked oddly impressed, but nodded his consent. 

Ten minutes later, they were standing outside a door. Lindsey looked expectantly towards Dumbledore for him to open it. Strangely though, Dumbledore was facing the opposite direction- a brick wall. There has to be some logic in that, Lindsey thought, but what? Then something caught his eye. Lodged deep in the fissure between two bricks was a tiny shard of crystal. When Dumbledore put his wand to it, the crystal glowed red and expanded into a large painting, bearing a crest with a Phoenix. Dumbledore pushed it aside quickly, and stepped inside. 

It looked normal enough, except for the fact that everything in the room was white. A long white table, white chairs, white…well, you get the picture. Faith smiled.

"Oh, it's been ages since I was last here in the Meeting Room. Our last meeting here was so sad, though…this brings back a lot of memories." Dumbledore sighed. 

"Yes. It's best not to dwell on the past though," he said quietly, and for a moment looked very old and sad. Then he shook his head slightly, as if to dispel any sad thoughts. 

"Well, let's try to be happy for now," Then he walked to a door on the opposite side of the table and opened it, calling out.

"Rose, dear? You have visitors." There was a small silence, and Dumbledore stepped back inside the Meeting Room and seemed to be lost in thought again. Lindsey and Faith looked at each other. Faith just looked bewildered, but her son explained.

"She's telepathic, remember, mum. Rose is probably talking to him."

And Rose was indeed holding a private conversation with Dumbledore. 

__

Visitors? Who? How do they know about me?

"Just come out and meet them, dear." Dumbledore directed the thought in her direction. The he smiled and turned to the two people standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, she's a little shy. Rose has never actually met anyone except me and a few Professors here before now. Ah, here she is."

There she was, in the doorway. Lindsey looked at her grinned. WOW. She was really something.

The girl standing in the doorway was of average height, and looked around the same age as Lindsey. She had the softest orange hair he had ever seen with golden-blonde highlights that hung loosely to her waist with gentle waves in it. Her skin was pure porcelain, and she had expressive sea-green eyes that peeked shyly up at him through thick lashes. 

"Hi," she said brightly, and giggled. "You guys are my first visitors. I feel proud. Giddy. I'm getting a lot of warm fuzzy feelings. Yay for me. And now I'm babbling. So hi."

She said all of this in a bit of a rush. Faith squeaked and ran forward to give her a hug, exclaiming over how long it had been since she had seen her last, and how tall and pretty she had grown; that sort of thing. When she released Rose, Lindsey stepped froward and shook her hand warmly with a grin.

"Hey, I'm Lindsey. Pleased to meet you. I have to say, it's great to put a face to a voice."

"Yeah, likewise. Hope you like it here."

"I'm sure I will. I just have to get sorted."

At this, Dumbledore pulled a disk out of his robes with many swirling colours and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Yes. Hmmm, I think we should be going soon. The rest of the students should be arriving any minute now. Mr Black, Faith, this way please. There is another new sixth year to be sorted as well. Come along."

Rose's face fell slightly, and she pouted like a little girl. 

"Oh…well, be sure to visit me again!" she ended lightly, and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, smiling at the prospect of having a friend her age. "Bye bye now."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Terrible Trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing in the entrance hall, dry for once. The two boys were in the middle of a debate over who was the greatest Quidditch chaser of all time, and Hermione was bored out of her mind. Really, she thought; if it weren't for sport, boys would never talk about anything. Musing over this strange fact, she let her eyes rove over the heads of all the people in the hall. Hermione was just about to walk over and say hello to Lavender Brown, a fellow Gryffindor, when someone slammed into her body, winding her.

"Ooooof!" she exclaimed loudly, and fell onto the flagstone floor. She rubbed her arm that she had fallen on, and looked up to see whom it was.

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry! I didn't see you there at all. Let me help you up," came a female voice full of remorse. Hermione gazed up into startling electric blue eyes, and held out her hand. 

"No, no. it's fine, I'm just a little winded," Hermione said breathlessly, then raised her eyebrows with curiosity. "I'm sorry, are you new? I don't remember seeing you before, and you can't be a first year."

The girl smiled amicably. "You're right. I just came here. I'm starting as a sixth year with my cousin."

"Really? That's great! I know you'll love it here. I'm Hermione by the way. What's your name?"

"My name's Aurora," came the delighted reply. At this point Harry and Ron wandered over to try and get an opinion about Quidditch from Hermione. They stopped when they saw the girl she was talking to. Ron smiled and put an arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"Hey, 'Mione. Care to introduce us?"

Hermione grinned in return as she met Ron's gaze. "Sure. Guys, this is Aurora. She's new, starting as a sixth year with us. Aurora, this is Ron and over here is Harry." 

Ron grinned warmly. "Hey, nice to meet you."

Harry gave a funny smile, and blinked before extending his hand. "Yeah, Welcome to Hogwarts." He pulled back his hand after shaking hers and, once she had engaged herself in conversation with Hermione again, stopped to have a long hard stare. She was pretty damn hot!

She was wearing normal Hogwarts robes, but she had no house colours on her yet. Her blue eyes burned with such intensity that she seemed to draw people in. She had straight, white-blonde hair that grew halfway down her back. The strange thing was, the last twelve centimetres of her hair seemed to be dyed a bright, almost fluorescent blue- the same hue as her eyes. He gave a small, indulgent smile. McGonnagal would not approve of that hair one bit.

Her musical laugh interrupted Harry's stare, and he stopped his reverie. He looked at his watch and realised that if they didn't go into the Great Hall very, very soon, they would miss the Sorting Ceremony. And that would be REALLY bad, considering Aurora had to be Sorted. Harry was just about to tell the others that they had to go when a voice stopped him.

"Misia? C'mon, we're going to be late." 

Harry froze. He knew that voice. An icy claw gripped Harry's heart, and he groaned as he saw the unpleasantly familiar platinum head come closer. Yes. It was Public Enemy Number One: Draco Malfoy.

Draco came up to Aurora with the most peculiar expression on his face: It took Harry a moment to realise what it was. The face was nothing he had seen on Malfoy before: It wasn't shock, nor a sneer or a grimace. There was no hatred or anger anywhere on his countenance. It was official:

Draco Malfoy smiled at Aurora.

Draco came running up to Aurora and put a hand on her arm, grinning and rolling his eyes comically as he gasped for breath.

"There you are, Misia. I've been looking everywhere for you. We'd better hurry, the Sorting's about to start."

Aurora gave an apologetic face. "Sorry. I just got caught up talking."

The blonde boy nodded and was about to pull her away when he heard a cough from behind him. He turned and saw three people with very shocked faces staring at him. He frowned. Harry Potter? What the hell was he doing here? 

Presently, the Boy-Who-Lived in question opened his mouth in disgust. "Malfoy, how do you know Aurora?"

Draco was just about to open his mouth to give a scathing reply when Professor McGonnagal stuck her head around the door into the Great Hall, calling to them in a very impatient, stressed manner. 

"Please, you five, we're about to start! Take your places."

Not wishing to face her wrath, but nevertheless begrudgingly, the five complied. They ran through the doors and Aurora went to stand with the first years to be Sorted, leaving a lot of unanswered questions in the minds of Harry, Ron and Hermione…not to mention dread.

Author's notes

Do try to respond, I feel lonely. : P


	13. The Mad Hatter

Lindsey stood behind the first years waiting to be Sorted in the Great Hall. He really didn't know why he was even bothering to be Sorted, it was almost certain that he would be placed in Gryffindor like his mum and dad were. Still, he felt a chill when thoughts entered his head of being put in Slytherin. What if the hat put him in there by mistake? Lindsey felt a shiver of fear roll up his spine. That would truly be horrible.

Feeling distinctly colder, he shook his head in an attempt to gain focus. His name would be called soon. At that moment a girl about his age sidled up to him with a really nervous expression on her face. Lindsey raised an eyebrow at how pale she was; it was obvious that she was terrified. She bit her lip and looked up at him appraisingly. She gave a forced smile.

"Hey. You new here too? I have to say, I'm getting the nerves."

Lindsey smiled back warmly. "Yeah, I'm Lindsey. Starting sixth year. I'm not that nervous, I think I know where I'll be put."  


The girl gave a bigger smile, gaining courage. "My name's Aurora. I'm sixth year too. Well, I think I know where I'll be put too, but that's not what I'm worried about. Truth is, I can't stand everyone looking at me. I hate being the centre of attention." 

"Hey, smile. Be happy. You have nothing to worry about." Lindsey grinned at her supportively, and she was just about to reply when she noticed that the Hall had fallen silent. She looked over the row of terrified first years to see everyone was looking at a grubby hat perched on a stool at the front of the hall. She raised an eyebrow and giggled nervously when it started to sing in a deep, rumbly tone. The song was long and entertaining, telling of its origin and the school and, most importantly, the houses that students were Sorted into. Aurora thought that Slytherin and Gryffindor were given the most appraisal by the hat. 

Aurora looked down at the four long tables running the length of the Hall and let her eyes wander over the students while the first years were being Sorted. First she looked at the Slytherin table, where Draco sat looking at her with a knowing smirk. She noticed that a few seats down there as a group of students about their age whispering and pointing at him. Aurora frowned slightly. She made a mental note to ask him about them later. She grinned back at him sheepishly, and he nodded encouragingly. 

Looking on the opposite side of the hall, Aurora saw another table that she quickly assessed and labelled as Gryffindor from all the red and gold present. Scanning the table without much thought, her eyes locked onto three people seated there. It was those three she met in the Entrance Hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione!

Aurora gasped slightly. They were in Gryfffindor? Well, that was definitely not of the good. From what Draco told her, they weren't going to get along when they found out that she was a Malfoy. What was that he said? He despised Gryffindors? Well, that certainly didn't bode well. 

Lindsey turned when she gasped. He followed her line of sight and saw her looking at the Gryffindor table, three individuals in particular. He looked at the three and frowned slightly. Now, where did he know that guy from? Lindsey wracked his brain as he tried to discern who that person was. Analysing quickly, he noted that the boy Aurora was looking at had thick, messed-up looking black hair. On anyone else it would have looked scruffy, but on him it looked okay. 

__

You know who that is, don't you? came a sudden thought in Lindsey's head. He jerked visibly, and then relaxed.

"Uh, Rose?" he thought to himself…or, rather, to Rose.

__

Yeah, it's me. And you know who that is. Harry Potter. Say hi to him from me!

Lindsey felt like slapping himself in the head with stupidity, but thought it unadvisable since the whole hall was looking where he was standing. "Of course! I've seen his father like a billion times in photos. I should have known."

__

Uh-huh. Well, Good luck. Happy Sorting! 

And then she was gone. Like a transistor radio, their connection fizzed out. Just in the nick of time, too, because at that moment Professor McGonnagal cleared her throat and stepped to the front of the room.

Everyone, may I have your attention please?" She paused for a while and gazed around the Hall for the students to cease their chatter and look up at her. 

"I would like to announce that we have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Let me present Professor Faith Wilshire!" Arabella stood up with a smile and took McGonnagal by the elbow and whispered something to her. Minerva smiled. 

"Actually, she would prefer to be Professor Black." The students shrugged this off and applauded, but Harry cocked his head to the side questioningly. Hmm – Black was it? He wondered if there was any relation to Sirius, his Godfather. He felt a lump in his chest form when he thought about Sirius. Harry wished…Oh well. He let it go, though, when McGonnagal cleared her throat when the clapping died down, and continued.

"Now, we also have two new students starting in sixth year. I trust you will make them both welcome. Now it's time we Sorted them."

At this, Professor McGonnagal walked over to the side again where she had just been and pulled out another scroll. She called out in a loud voice,

"Black, Lindsey!" Lindsey had been lost in his own thoughts at the time and jerked visibly. He caught Aurora's amused gaze and looked puzzled for a second before a look of recognition dawned on his face. He opened his mouth and said 'oh!' under his breath. Stepping forward with a wide grin, he walked up to the stool, sat down and allowed McGonnagal to place the Sorting Hat over his head. He could tell straight away that because he was bigger than they were; he didn't look nearly as dopey as the first years did with the big hat on. He felt it envelop his head, and felt immediately relaxed. As a voice started to speak in his ear quietly.

It chuckled quietly. "Well, well - if it isn't Black Junior. I quite remember your father when he was here. I was wondering when you'd show up. Yes, I think there's really only one place for you, my boy."

Lindsey grew pale when the Sorting hat mentioned his father. 

"So, you're putting me in Gryffindor like dad?" he said hopefully.

"Well, I can't deny that both of you have a devious nature that would be welcome in Slytherin…" At this Lindsey gaped, outraged.

"…But I will indeed put you in GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled out the last word to the whole Hall. Everyone in Gryffindor burst out in applause. He grinned and walked over to the table, sitting next to a girl with scarlet hair, across from Harry. He failed to notice the look she sent his way, and smiled at the dark-haired youth. 

"Rose says hi," he whispered to Harry so no one else could hear, and sat back to watch Aurora's Sorting.

Harry looked at Lindsey, alarmed and confused, but reasoned that if Rose was talking to Lindsey, he must be an alright person. He looked up at the stage when Professor McGonnagal stepped forward yet again.

"Malfoy, Aurora!" Harry's heart thumped once, then stopped. The Hall was silent, then everyone burst out into muted whispers. What the HELL? There was no way in the WORLD that she was a Malfoy. She seemed so nice, and she actually talked to a Gryffindor. After a second, his heart resumed palpitating. 

Harry's logical mind clicked. She was starting here with her cousin – that had to be Draco Malfoy. Harry grit his teeth. She was blonde. Common Malfoy trait. Porcelain skin, air of grace, pale eyes…it all added up now. He scowled to himself. He really liked that girl, and he'd be damned if Malfoy was going to ruin their friendship.

Harry would be friends with Aurora, no matter what. She would not be like the other Malfoys. She was different – Harry could tell.

Presently, Aurora was looking quite distressed about all the attention. She clasped her hands over her mouth in a very nervous gesture. There was a terrible feeling in her stomach and she made a sound like a mouse being trodden on as she stiffly glided towards the stool, ashen-faced. 

Draco winced. He knew perfectly well that she hated crowds or being the centre of attention. Stage-fright til the end. She was incredibly shy, and what with everything that happened to her during the holidays, she was still very shaken up.

She sat on the stool with a feeling of complete and utter dread as the Hat slowly descended on her blonde head. To her relief, the brim of the overly-large hat covered her eyes and shielded her face from view. She relaxed visibly, but jerked when the hat started speaking to her. 

"I'm honoured to serve you, my Lady. So, the Princess has come to Hogwarts at last."

Aurora's mind swam. No one but Lucius, Draco and her dead mother knew that she was the Water Sprite princess. Well, them and the Water Sprites themselves. If the hat knew that, it must also know that she wasn't human. She was about to ask a question when the hat went on.

"Yes…Your mother came here. I remember Morganna quite well. You'll be pleased to know that you take after her in a lot of respects, but her purpose in life was so much simpler than yours. You have danger written in your head, I can see the pain now. Do what you must, and trust all you can. Follow not in the footsteps of your ancestors. 

Without a doubt, you will be put in SLYTHERIN!"

Aurora started breathing quickly, as the hat was taken off her head. Judging by the looks sent her way from everyone in the Hall, they had not heard what the Hat had been saying except the last word: where she was placed. She stood up gracefully. Aurora sniffed delicately and raised her head. Well, even though she wasn't evil, she was after all a Malfoy. Malfoys didn't let their emotions show, especially not fear. She took a deep steadying breath and walked over to join Draco with a calm smile in his direction. He grinned back.

"Bad luck. Looks like you're stuck with me now." He quipped, and laughed when she swept down to embrace him.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to get used to it," she joked. Professor McGonnagal picked up the hat and began to put it away as Dumbledore stood to address the students. He smiled broadly. As they sang the school song, and coughed to gain attention.

"Well, students, we are here again. I will state the notices briefly. No one is to go into the Forbidden Forest. I direct this especially to a certain group of three students in sixth year. Not mentioning any names, you know who you are." 

His eyes twinkled merrily as he looked towards the Gryffindor table. Hermione turned bright red and slouched in her chair with embarrassment, while Harry and Ron fought not to laugh as they caught each other's gaze.

The, Dumbledore grew sober. "I would like to say that for many of you, this is going to be a stressful year. Voldemort," (there were numerous gasps here) "-is alive. He is a threat. However, I must stress to you all that no matter what happens, you WILL be safe at Hogwarts. I bid you all a happy and productive year. Before we start our meal, I must leave you with one thought: 

'To think is to be human.

To feel is to be magical.'"

At this, he turned around and was walking back to his chair when he noticed with mild surprise that McGonnagal hadn't put the hat away yet. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be _fighting_ with the hat. It was squirming and every time she went near it, it would jump out of her grasp. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. The Hat was starting to smoke at the seams. This was definitely not good.

With a ripping sound, the Hat jumped out of Professor McGonnagal's arms and, to the whole Hall's astonishment, (the students had forgotten the food on the tables while looking at the Hat), jumped back onto the stool. 

It started to glow a dark red colour like strontium held over a flame. Then it froze and the tear in the brim opened up in a mouth for one last time. It spoke in a voice it had never spoken in before. High and melodical, it sounded like it was in a trance. The tone reminded Draco forcibly of when Aurora was delirious days before. The Hat spoke, and everyone in the Hall held their breath to listen to what it had to say:

"Eight will join, Eight will love;

The Puzzle they shall right. 

The Bird of Flame will guide them 

As they go and win the fight.

Sun marked of blanc Apollo

The fire inside him burns,

The Dawn and Moon will follow;

Two arcane loves take turns.

Mercury helps deliver the message,

Her role in this is true.

The last of six joins the Eight

To start our lives anew.

Stealthy superstition joins, 

Justice must prevail.

The love of last yet first of seven

Shall never rightly fail.

Round and round the muse speaks sound

Echoes through columns non-standing.

Union with St. George's triumph

Will help defeat Enigma's forthcoming.

Sun, Dawn and Moon: Their power is greatest.

Mercury and Last: Their fealty is truest.

Superstition and First: The powers have spoken.

Muse and Triumph: The Puzzle is broken."

A/N

Well, I'm on the edge of my seat. Figure out the poem if you can. 

Thanx everyone who reviewed. Plz send more, it makes me motivated!!! 

Oh and tell me: do u people like my riddles? I am thinking of having a few more riddles and some literature put in here like Erl King – it may feature. Give me thoughts? Thanx!!!!!!


	14. Time to Share

Several hours later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were talking in a corner in the Gryffindor common room. After the hat had finished the strange poem, it had been carried away and although everyone was a little confused, the feast went on as per usual. Tired and full, everyone had returned to the common room where the bright, warm fires crackling merrily in the tower made everyone feel sleepy and contented. 

The three in question were huddled in the corner holding their private discussion about the day. Hermione was fixated on what the hat had said earlier and was thinking very hard as to why the Sorting hat, after several thousand years, had decided to become to disobedient and blurt something like that out.

Hermione frowned in concentration and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her hair. 

"Well, some of this sounds familiar. I mean, I've heard a lot of those names from before. Here, I have it written down."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "How did you get that? I mean, the hat only said that once, and really quickly. How did you remember that whole poem?"

Hermione smiled and gave a pleased look. "Well, I used a memory retrieval spell. But it wasn't my idea. Obviously, I wanted to examine the poem and I didn't remember all of it. I was thinking how to get the poem back when Rose told me to use the spell. I'm so glad she did!" she finished happily. 

__

No, no. The pleasure's all mine. Came the reply in Hermione's head. Then, Harry and Ron heard what she started to say. 

__

Well, there you go. Dumbledore says that it's a prophecy of some kind, so don't give it to anyone else or leave it lying around. 

Harry frowned. He had bad experiences with prophecies, especially after the last one in the Ministry of Magic ended up causing Sirius's death not long ago. "How did you know about this so quickly?" he asked.

"It's not like you live anywhere near. Or do you?" he added the last part as an afterthought, becoming somewhat skeptical. 

He had never actually thought about where Rose lived: she seemed to know everything that was happening at Hogwarts, so she had to be in close contact with someone in the school. That knowledge seemed a bit suspicious. What if she was in league with Voldemort? Harry thought to himself irrationally. No, no! he berated himself. She couldn't be…could she?

There came a long and laboured sigh from inside Harry's head, and Rose came back. 

__

Harry, c'mon. I can read your thoughts, for Merlin's sake, and I'm NOT in league with that piece of Death Eater trash. Really, I said you could trust me. 

She said this rather sadly, as if the fact that Harry entertained such thoughts was disappointing to her. 

"Okay. Sorry," Harry said apologetically. Just then he noticed that Ron and Hermione were looking at him expectantly. Obviously, they could not hear a word that was being said between the two. 

Ron looked at the brunette and shrugged. "This might take a while," he said, sliding an arm around her waist with a sly grin on his face. She giggled and turned away from the rest of the common room and leaned in to meet Ron's kiss. 

Harry shook his head, turned away blushing and focussed on the conversation he was having with Rose. 

"Rose," he thought, "I'm just having doubts about everything cause I'm having trouble accepting. You're a really great friend to have, and you've got me out of a few jams. The problem is that I've never seen you or talked to you face to face."

Again, she sighed. This was becoming tiresome, she thought to herself (and not to Harry). Dumbledore didn't want them to be formally introduced just yet. For some weird reason he believed in people figuring things out on their own.

__

Yeah, I know. I'm dying to meet you three as well, but Dumbledore says not yet. I can't tell you where I live, but I'll say that I'm close. 

Now, about this poem. Apparently, Dumbledore says it's a prophecy. We just have to figure it out. Umm, let's see. Hermione will certainly help, tell her that there is a link with Roman and Greek mythology. Get her to check all that. There's something important you need to know.

There came a hesitation. Harry nodded to himself, as if she could see him and would continue if he prompted her enough. She built up the dramatic tension for a while. Then she let go.

__

You know that new boy, Lindsey?

Harry cocked his head to the side. Oh, yeah, he thought, that new guy in Gryffindor. He frowned pensively as he remembered what Lindsey had said earlier, at the table in the Great Hall- 'Rose says hi.' How did they know each other?

Rose interrupted his train of thought. 

__

Yeah. Him. It's very important that you become friends with him. I've had a vision…he will help you. He is on our side, and can be trusted. Lindsey may be able to help work out the prophecy. Go, she urged, _talk to him. I'll speak to you later._

With that, she was gone. 

Harry shook his head in bewilderment over Rose's peculiar instructions. He looked over to where Lindsey was sitting, talking to Ginny. She was smiling and giggling, tossing her hair; he stood with a lopsided grin and appreciative gaze. Wait, that wasn't talking, Harry thought, narrowing his eyes with a knowing grin. That was blatant flirting!

He looked to the other side of the room and spied Dean Thomas locked in a conversation with Parvati Patil. Just then, Dean shot a glance across the room to where Ginny was standing. It was a look full of remorse and resignation. Hermione had told Harry earlier that day that Ginny and Dean had broken up a week or so before term started, so both were now free. Ginny seemed to be experiencing the joys of being single again, and was really having fun with Lindsey.

Harry walked over to where they were and stuck out a hand.

"Hey, I don't think we were properly introduced. Harry Potter," he said, and the dark haired youth looked at him and grinned, shaking his hand.

"Lindsey Black." Ginny grinned and made an exit.

"See you round. I'll let you two bond," she declared and left them alone.

Harry sat down and looked Lindsey up and down quizzically. "Black, huh? Any relation to-" he glanced around nervously to see if anyone was within earshot before continuing, "-Sirius Black?"

Lindsey blinked at the question. That was pretty out of the blue. But, still, his mum had said that she and his dad were Harry's godparents, so it was safe to tell him. 

"Yeah," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving Harry's. "As a matter of fact…he was my dad." 

Harry gaped. He never knew Sirius had any family of his own. Harry had seen the Black family tree last year and it certainly didn't have Sirius's son on it. But, then; Sirius himself was scratched off the tree, so there was a reason as to why his family wasn't on it. Feeling sort of betrayed that his godfather had not told him he had a son, Harry continued in a shocked voice.

"What…How can Sirius have a son?" Lindsey grinned widely at that question, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"Really, Harry, do I have to tell you that?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Please. I meant how come I didn't know he had a family?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Well, being in Azkaban and all, mum and I have been in hiding and dad didn't want the Ministry to harass us. Being related to a convicted mass murderer is not healthy." Harry frowned.

"You _do_ know that he was innocent, don't you?" asked Harry incredulously.

Lindsey rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. No duh. The problem is that the Ministry of Magic didn't. So, we've been in hiding."

Harry blinked questioningly. "Where've you been hiding?" 

Lindsey winked. "Can I tell you somewhere a little more private?"

Harry nodded and led the new boy up the stairs to the sixth year boys' dormitories, where all their luggage already was. Sitting down on the new bed that had been provided for Lindsey's arrival, Harry prompted him.

"Well?"

Lindsey bit his lip in contemplation. "Well," he began slowly, "I guess it's more of a why and who question, than a where. You see, we were disguised." Lindsey hastily explained seeing Harry's blank look.

"Mum – yeah, that the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Black – well she was disguised as an old woman. I think you may know her as Mrs Wilshire from down the road?" he added with a sly, triumphant grin. Harry sat slackjawed. Mrs Wilshire, that wrinkly old lady with the cat down the road from the Dursleys, was a witch? That could mean one thing: if she was Lindsey's mother she must also be…_Sirius's wife._

Harry's heart started pumping very fast indeed from the shock. Professor Dumbledore had always said that he was protected from Voldemort at Privet Drive, and Harry now realised that apart from old Mrs Figg, there were some other people guarding him as well. Harry shook his head in astonishment. All the pieces fit!

Lindsey grinned. "And I was also disguised. He may not have told you, but dad was an Animagi when he was here. A dog. So, to confuse anyone looking for us, I was transformed into the opposite: a cat."

Harry blinked. "You've got to be kidding me," he said weakly.

Lindsey laughed good-naturedly and stood up, spreading his arms wide. 

"You may recall me as Felix," he proclaimed with a laugh.

Harry looked Lindsey up and down. That little black kitten that was always following old Mrs Wilshire around was _him_? Harry was silent for a moment, and then burst out in laughter. This was simply too much. For a full fifteen minutes the two dark haired adolescents were rendered helpless on the ground as they rolled about giggling madly. Harry made a mental note to talk to Luna Lovegood some time. She had said something weird last year about talking to her dead mother, and if that was possible, Harry _had_ to talk to Sirius.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The next day, Harry explained everything to Ron and Hermione and Ginny. While the four sixth years were talking quietly in a corner, Ginny came over to them and gave Harry a letter. 

She whispered into his ear, "An owl just came for you and flew off in a hurry. I think it's from Mum." He pulled her down into the group. It was obvious that Ginny could be trusted.

"Hey, we have something to tell you. Lindsey is Sirius's son." He waited for the desired effect. Ginny threw her hands up to her mouth with a gasp.

"Oooooooooh. So _that's_ where you get it from." She said, as if she were saying the most evident thing in the world. The four looked upon her with curious gazes; Lindsey in particular was interested in what she saw in him. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Well, gee, just look at him. He's got the whole tall, dark and handsome thing happening. I mean, come on, have a clue. Lindsey looks just like Sirius. Except not as scruffy," she said in a cheerful tone, giving them looks as if to say that they were all slightly dumb. 

Lindsey grinned appreciably. This was a big change from, '_ooh, kitty!_' "You're not so scruffy yourself, love," he answered in a light, offhand voice. She smiled, and flicked her hair. Ron frowned and raised an eyebrow at his displeasure at his sister. Sure, he liked Lindsey enough, but he was flirting with his baby sister. Clearing his throat loudly, Ron continued the discussion they were having. 

"So, uh, Harry, are we going to tell everything?" he asked quietly, referring to Rose. Should they tell Ginny about Rose? And could Ginny be trusted?

A rustling sound was heard, and the hair on the back of Lindsey's neck prickled.

__

Hello, everyone. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lindsey… you can trust Ginny. It's important that she knows as well. Tell each other everything, right from the start. 

It was evident from Ginny's questioning glance that the four realised that Ginny couldn't hear anything that was being said. Oh, boy; thought Harry. This was going to take a while. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Since it was a Sunday, there was lots of spare time to tell all. After an hour or so, all five of them were fully informed of what was happening in each others' lives. Well, almost everything. Lindsey had promised Professor Dumbledore and his mother that he wouldn't tell a soul about Rose's whereabouts, despite how much he wanted to. Ginny was leaning up against Lindsey's shoulder, biting her lip. She had just been told the whole story. Spread in front of her was the prophecy, and the group of five was trying to sort it out. Ginny clucked her tongue. 

"Wow. I mean…just wow. This is lot to take in, although it makes a lot of sense. I wish I could hear Rose too," she said half to herself. Harry smiled. 

"Maybe you will. Try calling her name out." Ginny started to take a deep breath, but Harry stopped her. "No, I mean in your mind. Think her name really hard and maybe she'll answer."

Ginny looked up at Lindsey, who smiled down at her. "Have a go," he said encouragingly.

She quirked her mouth in a way that Ron recognised as something she did when she was doing something that she was doubtful, but willing to try. With a resigned shrug, she closed her eyes.

"Rose?" she thought. "Rose? Hello?" There was a faint whooshing sound and a pretty girl's voice filled her mind. 

__

Hi, Ginny. Came a voice, but then disappeared.

Harry was watching Ginny's reaction to her first telepathic conversation when Rose interrupted his thoughts.

__

Ugh. Hi Harry. I'm going to have to talk through you. Pity I can't talk too much to the others, but I'm pretty drained of energy and you're easier to talk to. I want you to ask Lindsey to tell you about where he was yesterday, and say I told him it was okay but NOT to come up here unless he tells Professor Dumbledore, okay? Otherwise I could get in major trouble.

Harry, thoroughly baffled, leaned over and repeated the message to Lindsey. The boy in question looked uneasy, but relaxed when he explained to the others that he was under oath not to tell anyone, so he didn't tell them where Rose was before.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and Ron put an arm around her. "so, where is Rose?" she questioned Lindsey. Lindsey smiled and shook his head.

"You're never going to believe this," he started, "But for the last 15 years, Rose has been living right above us now. In the tower."

A/N 

Man, am I tired. It's very late where I am at the moment. Oohoo, I do appreciate a cliffy. 

Well, I'm going to post much more soon. Sorry I'm so late, but I have a very busy life at the moment. shudder exams.

Oh well. Hope you all enjoy. I'm STILL not getting many reviews : (

PLEASE?? little girl pout, begging eyes thanks to all those who have reviewed. You make my day! : ) : P 


	15. First Class: not Economy

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Draco Malfoy was introducing Aurora to her new housemates. Or, he was trying to; at least. A couple of the Slytherins – Blaise Zambini and Millicent Bulstrode, for instance - seemed eager to accept the blonde girl, especially because she was the "Slytherin Prince's" cousin. On the other hand, Crabbe and Goyle were standing on the other side of the common room glaring at Draco and Aurora, looking like they really wanted to get into a fight. Draco clenched his jaw angrily. He was not used to such disrespect from two people who practically worshipped him in the past.

Pansy Parkinson, Draco's pug-faced date from the Yule Ball last year, was in a huddle with Andrew Nott and Morag McDougal. They were whispering and shooting venomous glances their way.

Draco frowned. He racked his mind as to why they were behaving this way. Then the answer hit him like a golf club (that's pretty painful). All their parents were Death Eaters!

Draco swore under his breath. Obviously, Lucius Malfoy had told all the other Death Eaters at a meeting that Aurora, Voldemort's former captive, had escaped. Lucius must have put two and two together: Draco disappeared the same night, so _he_ must have taken off with her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that all the Slytherins whose parents were Death Eaters knew that Draco Malfoy had betrayed the Dark Lord, and that the girl they were now forced to spend time with was in fact a fugitive from Voldemort. 

They were glaring daggers at Draco, but when they looked at Aurora their expressions seemed to soften a little, and mould into calculating, shrewd looks. They knew that she was powerful: otherwise He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wouldn't be so eager to corrupt her for his use. 

Draco groaned inwardly. This was going to be tough.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day was Monday: first day of classes. Everyone got up early that day to eat a fast breakfast and get his or her timetable. McGonnagal came around to the Gryffindor table and handed out the daily schedules, pausing at Lindsey to talk to him briefly about whether he was up to standard or not. Harry took his with a nod and was just about to put it away when Hermione squealed from next to Ron. 

"Oooh, look! We have Psyche first, guys! Isn't this great?" she asked with relish. Hermione had been dying to go to this class ever since they had first been informed of it at the Burrow. "With everything happening at the moment, I think it could be very informative," she continued happily.

Ron took his timetable from Professor McGonnagal with a muttered, "Thanks," and looked at his as well. His face took a skeptical appearance, then he slumped in his chair and moaned loudly, grimacing.

"Aw, but it's with the Slytherins. That won't be fun at all. And-" he looked at his sheet of parchment more closely, "-We have double potions afterwards!" infuriated, Ron started cursing under his breath at his bad luck. Hermione rolled her eyes and started to pacify him with a soothing voice. 

Harry screwed up his face with displeasure and looked down at his own timetable as Lindsey rejoined the group. Then he smiled with relief.

"Hey, guys, guess who the Psyche teacher is?" he said increduously. The other three looked at him warily. Harry started to chuckle. "Well, it's not so bad. Professor Dumbledore himself is teaching it."

They all grinned and started to chuckle. The Slytherins couldn't get away with too much if the Headmaster was teaching the class. 

Harry flicked his eyes towards the Slytherin table. No, he thought. Things weren't so bad at all. He suppressed a smile when he thought of a certain Slytherin who would be joining them there. A certain blue eyed blonde, as a matter of fact. By this, of course, Harry was thinking about that new girl. He had been thinking about her a lot last night as he tried to fall to sleep. She had captured his attention, and was not letting go. 

Harry watched as Aurora gigged at something Malfoy had said and blushed. She had come across to Harry as very shy, like she was always afraid to do or say something wrong. He sighed dreamily and began to watch her. 

Lindsey was having an in-depth discussion with Ron about Quidditch and the new spots open on the Gryffindor team when he looked over at Harry seeking an opinion on who would be the new captain. Lindsey stared at Harry expectantly for a moment, but when Harry showed no signs of even hearing him, Lindsey followed his line of vision to see what had him so engrossed. He looked around for a few seconds before seeing that pretty blonde bird he had been standing next to at the Sorting. What was her name…Aurora! That was it. He grinned slyly, and leaned over to nudge Harry.

"Hmm, very pretty, isn't she?" he said to Harry in a teasing, suggestive voice, wiggling his eyebrows. Harry was shocked. Was it that obvious he liked her?

Wait, what was he thinking? Aurora was a _Malfoy,_ no matter how nice she seemed. She was still a Slytherin underneath all her charm and charisma and grace and subtle, yet stunning appearance and the way she moved and when she spoke and…

Oh, no. He was beginning to fall for her. "No," he thought fiercely. "I won't fall for her. I can't fall for her. Malfoy would skin me alive." Harry sighed and rolled his eyes at Lindsey, giving him a gentle punch on the arm. This was not good. Not good at all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Half an hour later, the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins were seated in their classroom, waiting for their first Psyche lesson. Once again, on one side of the room sat one house, while the other house sat on the opposite side; glaring vehemently. Except this year, unlike all the other classes the Gryffindors and Slytherins had together, no one dared hurl any insults. Professor Dumbledore was their teacher, and such behaviour would be unwise in front of the Headmaster. Hence, the glaring. 

Ron and Hermione were sharing a desk (canoodling), while Harry had partnered up with Lindsey. Draco was seated next to Aurora, steadily ignoring the venomous looks his housemates sent their way. Everyone was living by the old adage: 'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.' Not wanting to get into trouble, the two houses were deadly silent.

The tensions were building in the classroom when Professor Dumbledore swept into the room. He was wearing a sapphire blue robe with a dark green cloak and a mauve hat perched jauntily on his white head. He sat at the desk and surveyed them all with a pleased gaze. His eyes seemed to pause for a moment on Aurora, and then on Lindsey, then remained for a short while on Harry before returning to the whole class once again.

He stood to gain everyone's attention and spread his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. 'Welcome, everyone, to Psyche."

He started to pace, and launched into his introductory lecture.

"When you hear the word psyche, what springs to mind?" he stopped for a moment to let a few people giggle weakly at his pun. 

"Indeed, the human psyche is indeed one of the most complicated magicks a witch or wizard can study. The true depths of the human psyche have yet to be discovered. However, we know at present that it is an important part of your soul. It is your mind and your deepest feelings; how you think and how you feel. Being psychic has a link to Divination – where those gifted individuals have the ability and mental powers to read people's minds and/or predict the future. 

"There are a few special branches of the Psyche we will be studying. They include Telekinesis, or Psychokinesis, the movement of objects through means of will power; also the more familiar Telepathy, which is direct communication through people's minds."

He left the class stunned after this speech. All the students, even the Slytherins, were on the edge of their seats with a rapt expression. Hermione had a look of pure ecstasy written on her face, which made Ron smile goofily. He loved that expression on his girl.

Harry was looking at Dumbledore with an impressed grin on his face. So, he thought. There was much more to Rose's abilities than he thought.

At that, Dumbledore walked to the other side of the classroom and over to the desk. He sat upon the edge so that he could see the whole class.

"Now, to begin our term in Psyche I thought we could start by learning how a psychic is given his or her abilities. Please, everyone, take notes." He stopped for a minute or so before continuing, so that all the entranced students could scramble for their quills and parchment. He waited until the room fell silent again, and went on with his oration.

"You see, psychics are not born with their talents. No. In fact, everyone has the potential to be psychic. It is a part of the brain we have only to unlock to harness the power within. However, the only way on unlocking the constraints of our own minds is by force.

"By force, one generally means an experience that was emotionally and physically overwhelming."

In the back row, Draco Malfoy scowled deeply and swung around in his chair to examine Aurora closely. Lucius had put her under the Crucio spell for weeks on end! What if _she_ had become psychic? Draco peered hard at her with worry.

Aurora, feeling her cousin watching her, turned around slightly to face him. She smiled, and whispered reassurance to him. 

"No, it's okay. I don't think I have that." Draco sighed with relief.

Across the room, Hermione whipped away from Ron to look at Harry at the desk in front of her. What he went through was pretty harsh, what if he…?

Then, Hermione remembered about the dreams. Harry had prophetic dreams. But, then, they weren't his dreams at all, were they? They were only sent to him…

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "So, to kickstart our psychic experience this year, I thought it would be nice to have a true psychic come in and have a telepathic conversation with each of you." 

He finished this and left all the students casting varying faces towards each other. Some looked excited; some looked scared. Some looked impressed, some looked unsure. A few students coming from muggle backgrounds looked skeptical, because they were familiar with psychics in the muggle world. Hermione, however, had a glazed expression as she was thinking hard. 

Dumbledore walked quickly over to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. Twenty pairs of eyes followed his every move with interest. He leant heavily upon the wooden frame and regarded the class over his half-moon spectacles.

"Our guest is very shy. She comes to one sixth-year psyche class every year. This means, sadly, that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw will not be able to see her; as she visited their classes last year. Please do not bombard her with questions, as she will not be able to answer many."

Harry whipped around and caught Lindsey's eyes. Likewise, they both turned in their chairs to glance quickly at Ron and Hermione before turning to face the door. The tension was building. Twenty students craned their necks to have a better look at the door where Dumbledore was about to open the door to reveal their guest speaker. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned the doorknob. A slim figure of medium height stood framed in the doorway. She stepped inside and smiled weakly. It was obvious that she was nervous to be in front of the sixth year class. She was shaking slightly, and had her hands clasped tightly in front of her chest. 

Draco scowled. She unsettled him instantly. Something radiated from her, something naïve and undeniably innocent…but there was something else, too. Something dark and sinister, like she had seen it all. 

She was wearing a white silk dress with a pale pink rope around her waist in clear medieval style. Her soft orange hair tumbled down to her waist and had very soft golden-blonde highlights. From behind him Draco heard Pansy whisper loudly, "Ugh. As _if_ that's her natural hair colour," in a contemptuous, disgusted voice. Draco tried to hide a snicker. He really loved to watch jealousy between girls. It was very entertaining. Especially when they got down to mud wrestling or other forms of girls fighting. 

The speaker had pale, alabaster skin that gleamed. Her expressive sea-green eyes darted around the room. Her eyes soared over to the Gryffindor side of the room and settled on Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lindsey. Lindsey sat back in his seat grinning like a madman. 

Harry looked at her. She seemed familiar somehow. Then he heard a rushing noise.

__

Hi, Harry. How's it going? Came the voice of Rose. Harry looked up and saw the girl looking at him. Harry nearly choked when she _winked_ at him. He tried to speak but couldn't!

Dumbledore cleared his voice loudly to attract attention. "Allow me to introduce Annabelle. You may all call her Annie," he said, and took her gently by the elbow, guiding her to the centre of the room. "She will probe your minds with the help of this crystal," he said, indicating to the class the rose quartz crystal she had in her clasped hands. 

Harry watched closely. The crystal _glowed_.

__

Well, they_ can call me Annie. Professor Dumbledore doesn't want anyone to know who I really am, but since you already know…_ came the voice again.

__

YOU can call me Rose. Harry gaped. The girl was staring straight at him with a meaningful look. He was finally meeting Rose. 

One by one, the class was subjected to a mind probe. Rose sat across from the student and held her crystal tightly, concentrating on the person closely. She then held a brief telepathic conversation with them before plunging into the depths of their psyche. When she did this Rose saw pictures and heard sounds just as the person was experiencing. She could access their emotions, intuition, and most of all their thoughts. 

She revealed to the class what each person was feeling at that moment. Harry was feeling overwhelmed, Hermione was feeling happy and excited. Ron was just happy to be with Hermione, and was also a little bored. Pansy was feeling resentful and jealous (she blushed darkly when Rose announced this, and her squinty, pug-ish eyes darted to glare at Aurora), while Aurora herself was feeling insecure. When Rose announced this, Harry looked over to the blonde in concern, but let it go. 

Then it was Draco's turn. He scowled even further and sat in front of her as she began. 

__

Hi, Draco. How's life? Rose inititated their telepathic conversation. Draco rolled his eyes unimpressed. "Fabulous," he drawled in his mind. Rose, guessing that he wasn't going to cooperate, shrugged and proceeded to probe his mind.

There was a silence. And more silence. And just a _little_ more silence on top of that. After a few minutes, some of the students looked to each other with furrowed brows. What was taking so long? This was already much longer than it took with any of the other students. 

Rose had her eyes clamped shut, and screwed up her face with concentration. Still, nothing happened. With a small cry, she pulled out of his mind. She was thrust back to reality and looked up at Dumbledore.

"I can't get in," she said. "Locked door. Ummm…do you think I could go in manually?" she asked the old man in a timid voice.

Dumbledore only looked on and gave his consent with a nod.

Rose took a deep breath and faced Draco. "You're not letting me in," she said. "I'm going to try a different, stronger method of mind probing. I promise it won't hurt," she added hastily at the look on his face. 

Draco glowered. "Fine," he answered gruffly. 

Before he knew what was happening, Rose had touched her crystal and said a quick spell. The rose quartz crystal shot bolts of shocking pink electricity up to her elbows. In an instant, her arms shot up and in a blast of light, she thrust her fingers forcefully into his skull through his temples. 

He gritted his teeth but did not cry out. The rest of the class started gasping and screaming around the pair, but Professor Dumbledore silenced them. 

Rose flew through her hands into Draco's mind. She looked around. Everything was in toned of grey. She was lost in an endless limbo and just floated around for a few moments until she found what she was looking for: a white door. With a lock. 

She drifted over to the door and handled the brass lock that was on the door. This was why she was not able to get inside his mind: he had blocked off anyone else's access to his emotions, thoughts and soul. She groaned in frustration. Then she saw a window on the top panel of the door. In it, she could see a faint image of that girl, Aurora, but nothing else.

Rose nodded to herself absently. It seemed she had discovered the one person that he allowed in. His cousin.

She took a breath and withdrew her energy from his mind. With a _whoosh,_ she pulled her magical hands out of Draco's skull and back into her own body. She looked at him closely for a second before standing.

She gazed at Dumbledore intently and started to waver slightly from side to side. 

She whispered, "Locked door. Can't get in," and put a hand to her forehead. She was really swaying now. 

Across the room, Harry gasped and whispered furiously to his three friends, "Oh, no! she's used up too much energy!"

He was right. Next thing, Rose's eyes had rolled back into her head and she collapsed. Draco caught her just before she hit the ground. 

A/N

does a loser-esque happy dance woohoo! My longest chappie yet!!!

C'mon, who's proud of me? J 

sphinx_star - hey thanks loads with the pointers. hmm....

u r right about 2 of the ships, but NOT all. If I had your e-mail I could tell you all that 'top secret' stuff you asked about, kayz? You have my e-mail, just send me your address directly please if u want to know more.

Other ppls who responded – thanks you all loads!

Umm hey if you want imagery, the mind-probe is like Glory in season 5 Buffy – except Rose doesn't take away sanity.

Plz review, it makes me feel loved 3


	16. Shenanigans

Rose was rushed out of the classroom. In the pandemonium that ensued, Professor Dumbledore was forced to put a silencing charm on the whole class. Once everyone had calmed down somewhat, he took off the spell. At once, he was bombarded with questions.

"Is she alright?" 

"What happened?" 

"Where'd she go to?" 

"Can we see her again?"

Dumbledore shook his head gravely. "She will be fine. She just used up a little more energy than she usually does. Each year, I take her to the first lesson of one of my sixth-year Psyche classes. She does the same routine every year – except she doesn't use up that much energy. If you ask any older student, you will find out that they only see her once. 

The truth is, Annie-" 

Here, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lindsey shared a furtive look at the mention of her first name, 

"-is really quite powerful and could be dangerous. You will never see her again, and I must insist that you speak about her only among yourselves. Now," he said, taking out a notebook, "I want you all to take the following notes."

At this, he started a long lecture on telepathy. Halfway through, Ron started shaking a little. Hermione looked on and asked him what the matter was. Upon hearing her concern, Harry whipped around as well. Ron was in fact shaking with suppressed laughter. He whispered hoarsely to Harry, "So _that_ was what the twins meant by, 'nice visual effects!'" 

Hermione rolled her eyes. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later that day, the Gryffindor Three had officially welcomed Lindsey into their group. This made them now the Gryffindor Four, which rhymed and sounded much better anyway. This wonderful rhyming was undone by the initiation of Ginny. Ginny had latched herself on to the group as well, although Ron largely suspected that was because of Lindsey.

So, the group of five now was talking under the guise of doing homework. Even though Dumbledore had told them not to discuss Rose, they had revealed everything to Ginny as well. Lindsey had the floor at the moment; while Ginny was seated firmly at his side. He was laughing. 

"I think it's really weird. To be introduced to this person you've never seen before in your life and never see her again; while coincidently, she lives just above you." He shook his head at the irony.

Ron was lying on his back with his head in Hermione lap. "Yeah. Hey," he said suddenly, his voice dropping to a conspiring tone. "It'd be so cool if we snuck up there and visited her."

Lindsey grew pale. "My mother would skin me alive!" he whispered. "She's a teacher and everything. And what would Dumbledore do?" he sounded freaked out.

Hermione beamed. "Good. At last, I'm not the only sensible person in the group. I mean, really, Ron," she scolded her boyfriend, "Why on earth would you do such an irresponsible thing like that? You could get in so much trouble." She looked to Lindsey for backup, but he had a strange look on his face. She raised an eyebrow and look questioningly at Harry and Ginny for what they thought.

Then, Lindsey cracked up laughing. "What am I so concerned about? I'd love to do something irresponsible! I haven't done something bad for a long, long time. I want to break some rules, pull some pranks…have fun!" He ended his speech standing, with one hand over his heart and staring towards the heaven in a patriotic pose.

Harry shook his head incredulously. "You really are your father's son, you know?" he said, referring to all the trouble and pranks pulled by the Marauders in their time. 

All the others, save Hermione, also started laughing. They nodded vigorously, and all began making plans. Hermione, seeing it was a losing battle, finally gave her consent. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At midnight, they all snuck out of bed and crept down to meet in the common room. Harry was prepared with the Marauders' Map, the Invisibility cloak his father had left him and a whole lot of nerves. He was feeling slightly nauseous about directly disobeying Professor Dumbledore. Then, too late, he realised that there was no way that all five rule-breaking Gryffindors were going to fit under the cloak. 

After puzzling this for a minute or two, he tried to fit as many as possible under the cloak. Only three fit: himself, Ron and Hermione, and that was only by stretching it to its complete limit. That left Lindsey and Ginny with no cover from Filch, or any other teacher or prefect. Lindsey smiled broadly. 

The dark-haired youth took out his wand and whispered an incantation. In a flash of yellow light, he transformed into a tiny black kitten. With a small meow, he gazed up at them all with big, feline, green eyes.

Ginny and Hermione both made really weird 'aaaww' noises and dropped to the floor to have a closer look at him. Ginny clapped her hands to her face and had an ecstatic grin all over her feature. She picked up his tiny form, cradling him gently. 

"Oooooh, what a cute kitty!" she squealed, and started stroking him under the chin. Lindsey, now turned into Felix the cat, purred happily. Ron went slightly pink and muttered something about 'indecent behaviour' from under the cloak, and Harry just shook his head, chuckling.

"I forgot to mention he is Animagiamo," he explained. "This means he's kind of like an Animagus, but he still has to use a wand. His name when he's a cat is Felix."

Ginny bit her lip with rapture. "Isn't he just an adorable kitten?" she cooed.

Hermione opened her mouth in a small 'O' shape. "We can turn Ginny into an Animagiamo as well!" she said triumphantly. The black kitten in Ginny's arms purred louder and swished its tail. That was what Lindsey had been planning the whole time. 

Hermione uttered the incantation she had heard Lindsey say moments before, and in a flash of yellow light, Ginny slowly began to shrink. Felix/Lindsey fell from her arms and landed gracefully on all fours on the flagstone floor. Ginny's whole body shrunk and changed shape until she was a tiny, tiny finch with a streak of red running down both her wings.

With a twitter, she flew up to the ceiling and circled them for a while. Ron smiled broadly. "I think her new name should be Tweet." 

Then, Harry stepped back under the Invisibility cloak and said, "Great! Now the three of us need to become Animagiami as well. But that can wait. Let's go and visit Rose!" With a grin, they all began the trek up to the Tower.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Ten minutes later, (it was dark, so obviously they had all become extremely lost and thus taken a long time, not to mention the fact that they had to escape Filch), They were standing outside the door to Rose's chambers. Well, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were. Felix was facing the brick wall opposite the door. With a poof, he turned back into Lindsey. Ginny also turned back from being Tweet to Ginny again. They all looked at Lindsey expectantly. 

With a glazed look on his face that could only be described as an adrenaline rush, he picked up his wand and slowly held it to the crystal shard lodged deep in the crevice between two bricks. In a rush of red light, it expanded into a large crest bearing a Phoenix. The five of them suddenly looked terrified at the sudden light. What if it had woken somebody? What if Filch saw it and came?

They all panicked and looked around, alarmed. After a minute, when there was no sign of activity and they had deemed the exercise safe, they slowly pushed the crest aside and walked in. 

Lindsey looked around for Rose; familiar with his surroundings. The others encompassed the room with awe. Lindsey had described it to them, but that was nothing compared with actually seeing it. They were enjoying a good, old-fashioned snoop when they heard a noise. A voice. It wasn't Rose. It wasn't even female. 

Harry's heart skipped a beat…or two…or three…when he recognised the voice. His stomach turned to ice and he grew ashen. "Crap!" whispered. "It's DUMBLEDORE!!!!!!!!"

The five of them clapped their hands to their faces in horror. They cast around desperately for a place to hide. Harry slapped his forehead when he remembered that their Headmaster could see through Invisibility cloaks. He dove underneath the table in the Meeting Room. Ron followed, dragging Lindsey under with him. That left Hermione and Ginny out in the open. Near hysterical, the two girls wrung their hands, searching for a place to hide from Dumbledore. 

What would he do if he found them? They weren't supposed to be up this late ever, not to mention the fact that they were never to see Rose again and that this Tower was out of bounds. Also, Lindsey and Harry had both promised not to breathe a word about this to anyone at all. They were sooooooooo busted!

The two girls were in serious panic mode by now. The three boys looked on helplessly, wanting to help but unable to. Then, their brains prevailed. Or at least, Hermione's did. Hermione leapt on top of the table and cast a quick spell on herself, making her completely void of colour. Then, she cast a second spell, this one a feather-light charm. She jumped towards the ceiling and now, since she was weightless, hung on to the chandelier. Ginny quickly followed suit. Since they were light and colour free, they blended in perfectly with the white ceiling. No one would ever guess they were there. Well, it worked in theory; one could never be certain with Dumbledore. 

With a creak, the door opened on the other side of the room and Dumbledore stepped inside the Meeting Room. He was having a conversation with Rose.

"Are you sure you're alright, sweetheart?" he said in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine, really." Rose answered, coming out. "I just don't know what's up with Draco. And I really want to find out. Also, that Aurora girl – I need to talk with her some. She may look fine, but there's something really troubling her. I need to do some more work with both of them."

She swayed a little, and leant against the doorframe, her head against her temple. "…just not yet. My head is killing me, and my powers ain't that crash hot right now," she said weakly, with a smile.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Off to bed, missy." He said firmly. "You need rest."

She nodded and he swept out. "I'll be back in an hour or so," he called as he left the Meeting Room.

"Okay," she called out, and sighed as the door shut.

As soon as he had gone, she started to make her way back through the Sphere to her bedroom. As she passed, it became evident that she had no idea that there were five people watching her. She began to sing "I like Aeroplane Jelly" quite loudly, a thing most people only do when they're quite certain they're alone. She then began to get changed into her nightgown. Thankfully, she did that in her bedroom, so no one had to see. All this time, all five Gryffindors were still in their hiding places in the Meeting Room. They saw her come out in a white, lacy nightgown and hold out her hand. Instantly, the pink crystal sitting in the corner went _zip_ across the room into her open hand. Five jaws dropped simultaneously with surprise. Since _when_ was she telekinetic? Why didn't they know this?

They cast these thoughts aside and watched as Rose slowly walked to her bedroom, crystal under her arm. She went inside and closed the door so it was only open a crack. Then they made their move.

As one, all five Gryffindors came out of their hiding places and grouped together. They had calmed down a bit, but were still a little pumped. They looked at each other with devillish grins, and tiptoed towards her room. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a long day, Annabelle Rose walked into her bedroom and threw herself on her bed. She lay spread-eagled, and yawned loudly, stretching. Then, she curled herself up under the covers and held up her hand. In a jiffy, all the faerie lights faded. Her room was usually like looking at star-filled night sky: very dark, with pinpricks of light. As soon as the faeiries faded out, it was completely plunged into darkness.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Harry and co. stepped into her bedroom. Instantly, they were stopped by one thing. They couldn't see diddly squat. Hermione brought out her wand and whispered 'Lumos'. The other four did the same. There was a small murmuring, whispering sound; then it was almost like billions of wands had lit up from the Lumos spell. There were billions of tiny, minuscule lights all around the room. It created a twilight atmosphere.

The two girls bit their lips to refrain from letting out long 'Ooooooooohs' at the enchanting atmosphere it created. Then, they looked onto the bed. There, amid the white sheets and pillows, lay a girl with long, golden orange hair. She was asleep, and was sleeping quite peacefully. She would have continued to do so if it weren't for her Inner Eye, which screamed out "_YOOO-HOOO!" _in her dreams. With a start, she sat bolt upright in bed. She looked around, wide-eyed, and saw five people staring down at her. 

Needless to say, she screamed. And screamed. And screamed. After half a moment, which seemed to the Gryffindor five like an eternity, Rose realised who she was screaming at. 

She jumped out of bed and raced over to the other side of her room. She glared vehemently. Harry was strongly reminded of the looks Aunt Petunia had often sent his way.

"What….why…how…?" she spluttered, shocked. "What do you think you're doing here?" she demanded. "How dare you! You're not allowed here at all! I thought you had much, much more sense than this. Of all the stupid, irresponsible things! You could get caught, Dumbledore will murder us!" she shrieked. Clearly, they had scared the living daylights out of her. 

After pacifying her, they all sat on her bed. They were all talking avidly about her lifestyle and her powers.

Throughout all this, Hermione was staring around her. Rose noticed this and smiled. "So, do you like my room, Hermione?" she said.

Hermione grinned. "I love it! How do you get the effect of all those little lights?" she inquired. It really was a beautiful sight. Rose smiled, and proceeded to tell them all about the interesting little creatures.

Some might think this to be annoying, but there is a big difference between _fairies _and _faeries. _The conventional fairy is a small, annoying creature like a pixie, which is content with talking noisily with a shrill voice and cause mischief. At this statement, Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a pointed glance and Ron let out a cough that sounded a lot like, 'Lockhart'. 

Rose went on to say that Faeries are smaller - only the size of a thimble - and they never speak, despite their intelligence. Faeries keep to themselves, but had special powers. If ever a muggle did something wrong in the Medieval age, the faerie would stop it instead of the witch or wizard they lived with. The main controversy in that age was around witch-burnings, although the people in Ireland at least got the right idea. The Irish blamed the '_dark faerie'_ for anything bad that ever happened, and they weren't far off. A German man called Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a poem in 1782 about the dark faerie, which rode with the Wild Hunt. They were minions to the Erl King, the title of his poem. 

Hermione nodded intelligently. She knew that poem, and proceeded to recite it in full. They were up for ages talking and laughing, until Rose let out a shrill shriek.

"OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD!!!" she yelled out. "Professor Dumbledore said he'd be back in an hour!" She looked around at their panicked faces with dismay. 

"Run for it!"

A/N

Wooohooo this is involving. CLIFFY!!! I have to ask, are you people happy with how long my chappies are? If not, tell. I try to update once a week, so sorry if the last one was late.

Ryan: oh my, you are a sweetie : ) thanks for all that encouragement. It makes me feel loved.

Everyone else: **_why_** does everyone think there is a Rose/Harry ship??? hmm well I have some strong opinions about this fic and can I just say that Harry made it clear who he has the hots for earlier, and it ain't Rose, I can tell ya. squeals I love this suspense! 

I want to tell everyone that I just luurve Lindsey. If you want further imaging, those of you who have seen the first season of Buffy? He kinda looks like a really young Angel, with the black tight pants and yummy white silk shirts. But only 1st season, cause after the third he starts looking really old and I like Lindsey YOUNG. Oh and Rose's hair? Kinda like Nicole Kidman's orange/gold look. 

Review, it makes me feel loved. Please? - Rose-Riddle3223


	17. Transformations

The next morning, the Gryffindor five were very tired indeed. Fortunately, their (the sixth-years, so not Ginny) first class was Herbology and that wasn't until 11:30, so they had a lovely sleep-in. At a late breakfast, Dumbledore didn't look any different, so they assumed that he had no idea what they were up to the night before. They were talking about it quietly and remembered that the other three still needed to become Animagiamo, so they decided to borrow a classroom that afternoon.

After all their classes were finished, they snuck into an unused classroom to begin. Hermione pulled out her wand, ready to begin. 

"Hold on," said Ron, with a sudden frown. "What if I don't like the animal I turn into? What if it's something like a-a-" he pulled a face. "A goldfish or a spider?" he said, terror and nausea written upon his face. Hermione smiled reassuringly, and took his hand in his.

"Don't worry. The animal you turn into is best suited to your personality. No matter what you become, you have to like it because it reveals what you are like at heart. And," her voice dropped to a whisper so only he could hear – "I think you'll be something great."

Lindsey scowled deeply. "Are you trying to imply that I'm a _kitten_ at heart? Cause I have to say, it's not all that virile," he questioned dangerously.

Ginny grinned and whispered in Hermione's ear, "I think he's upset that it undermines his manliness."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not to worry, Lindsey; we all think you're still very manly. But it's also how other people see you, and it corresponds with the zodiac sometimes and the stars and stuff like that."

Harry looked enthusiastic. "Okay. Let's go for it!"

Hermione took out her wand and waved it over Ron's head, saying, "Anima Arcana!"

In an instant, Ron shrunk into an animal shape – he was a fluffy golden Retriever! Ron was a reddish-brown colour and had thick, cuddly-looking fur. He bounded around for a moment, exploring all his new movements. Then he turned and leapt over to Hermione. Her eyes popped open and she started shaking her head violently and backing up, her hands held in front of her face..

"No. No, NO! _NO!!!!" _Ron lunged towards her and pushed her frame on to some cushions lying on the ground. She started wailing, and he shut her up by licking her face sloppily.

At this time, Lindsey and Ginny were rolling on the floor laughing. Harry shook his head despairingly and looked away. Hermione started kicking furiously and wriggling and shrieking. She was whacking Ron with all her worth until he finally started turning back into a human. He let her up and raced back across the room before she could hit him any more. He was grinning like a maniac, and she was screaming like a maniac. 

"You sick freak! Why do you do things like that?" she screeched. "This is just like the time back at the Burrow when I tried to wake up but had no air!"

He just smiled and cocked his head to the side, looking at her with calculating eyes. "Sorry," he said without conviction. "Couldn't help myself." Then he walked over to her, swept her up in his arms and kissed her. She pushed him away in surprise and sat down moodily.

"Excuse me, but if you don't give me notice before doing that again I _will _bitch-slap or seriously hex you," she said testily.

Ron cleared his throat and swallowed, looking very scared all of a sudden. "Okey-dokey. So, moving on…." He trailed off and Harry turned around.

"Nickname. Maybe Goldie?" Lindsey suggested. Harry raised an eyebrow. 

"Sounds like a cereal or a fish to me," he said, quickly ducking the punch Ron sent his way. "Only joking!" he laughed. 

Harry bit his lip in thought. "Well, how's about Laddie?" he asked, putting on a terrible imitation of a Scottish accent.

Ron shrugged. "Without the crappy accent, it's still bad," he said.

Harry screwed up his face. "Umm…Cana?" he suggested. 

Ron looked at him weirdly until Hermione stepped in and said, "You know, from Latin? _Canine, canus,_ it means dog."

A look of recognition dawned on Ron's face while Ginny muttered something like 'thick'. He grinned.

"That's cool. I just thought Harry was going to name me after a tin of baked beans or something."

Lindsey laughed and clapped his hands together. "Now, let's move on. Hermione, you want to go next?" he asked. She nodded and stood up. Ginny took out her wand and said the incantation, "Anima Arcana!" 

Hermione didn't shrink as much as she hunched over and grew longer. Her limbs became shorter and her shoulder blades more pronounced. She turned into a cheetah. She opened her powerful jaws to reveal rows of sharp, gleaming white teeth. She purred – a frightening sound to the others when faced by an enormous, man-eating wild animal. Hermione leisurely licked a massive paw and prowled around the room for a while, drawing her claws and tearing at the carpet in the classroom. She rolled on her back and stretched. Then she started turning back into a human. Hermione (in her normal form) looked up from the carpet. She saw four people looking down at her with differing expressions. Glancing down at herself, she blushed and rearranged herself into a more lady-like fashion.

"Well, that pose was a bit Victoria's Secret, wasn't it?" she flustered. "So, name?"

Ginny bit her lip in thought. "Well, Ripper is as good as any."

"That sounds a bit bloodthirsty. Like Jack the Ripper?"

Ginny shook her head with wide eyes and a smile. "Uh, no. Check those claws and fangs, 'Mione! They're pretty scary. You look dangerous as a cheetah and I just thought the name fit."

Hermione had a pleased look on her face and she grinned. "Okay," she laughed. "It's kind of empowering."

Last, Lindsey turned to Harry and without even telling him, cried, "Anima Arcana!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Meanwhile, up in the Tower, Rose was having some problems. 

"Draco, damnit, just relax!" she yelled for the umpteenth time. "I can't do this unless you let me!"

Draco scowled mutinously. "Why the hell should I?" he questioned.

Rose pursed her lips. "Well, Dumbledore said that there was no way you could fight with us or even just live as a normal person if you're so closed up to everyone. I mean, Professor Snape lets more people in on how he is than you do!" she cried, rather exasperated. 

"And so all he really wants is to know 'how I am'?" he said contemptuously. "I could tell you that. I'm just fine. And if I don't want the sodding world to know _exactly_ how I feel, I bloody well won't tell them!"

Rose groaned in frustration and sat down inside the Sphere. Porfessor Dumbledore had said that he wanted her to do some more work with him. He wanted Rose to open the closed door in Draco's psyche, but that was proving near impossible.

"Why are you being so difficult? Are you always such a hostile jerk, or just now?" she asked, her temper starting to rise rapidly.

Draco snorted scornfully. "I wouldn't be so hostile if you weren't trying to probe my mind. I don't like having self-righteous freaks like you in my head, so sue me if I don't cooperate," he said waspishly.

"You know what you are?" asked Rose with a calculating stare.

"….handsome, witty, a total heartthrob?" he suggested, glaring at her, daring her to say otherwise.

"Not really. You're a stubborn, obnoxious, arrogant mule!" she yelled. That caught him off guard.

Draco looked shocked. He just glowered at her in surprise for a moment, but that was all she needed. Rose let go of the crystal she was holding and rammed her magickally-charged hands into his skull before he even knew about it. He didn't have a chance to object.

She fished around for awhile, came to the door, and tried to open it again. It was still locked tight. Rose looked in the window and she could see Aurora there – still the only person allowed. She pulled out and just looked at his shocked, furious face for a moment with frustration. 

"Well," she began. "I suppose that was a little progress. I made it inside your psyche without you throwing me back out."

Just then Draco looked at his watch in alarm. "Oh – gotta go," he said and quickly stood up. He cursed under his breath and said, "Oh no! I'm late! I hope she's okay…" and flew out the door.

Obviously, he was going after Aurora. He was driving Rose insane with his crappy attitude, and a psychopathic psychic is never a good thing. Especially when that psychopathic psychic had the ability to take over control of your mind. 

Rose just stood there scowling. He was so rude! She hated it when people were like that. He just infuriated her whenever he came near. He thought he was so good, so superior; but she knew he had serious issues. She screeched in frustration and went back to her bedroom, wondering where he was going when Dumbledore told him to stay.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lindsey and Ginny were back in the Gryffindor common room, plotting another visit to the Tower in a few nights' time. After that, they soon discovered that they were all bored out of their minds. 

They decided that it was a shame to stay indoors, but they didn't fancy going outside. Then Ginny giggled, looking out the window in the direction of the lake..

"You know what would be fun?" she said.

Harry shook his head. "What, Ginny?" he said warily.

"Running through the sprinklers on the lawn!" she giggled. Harry frowned.

"But aren't they protected from students doing that? I thought it was impossible to cross the line to the sprinklers. McGonnagal made it that way because students were always going there against the rules. Besides, it's pretty cold."

Ginny frowned, and pouted. "Oh," she said.

Ron looked skeptical. "But if we're Animagiamo, the line might not detect us!" he said brightly.

"And we could cast a warming spell!" Harry grinned. "Well in that case, I think you should just let me get some swimming trunks and I'll be right back." With that, all five ran off to their dormitories to grab their swimming costumes and rejoined in the common room. They ran back down to the Great Hall, hiding their swimming costumes under their robes, and walked outside. There, they ran across the lawns to the lake. Hiding behind some trees, they each transformed just in front of the line marking the out-of-bounds are for students. 

Lindsey turned into Felix the cat.

Ginny turned into Tweet the finch.

Ron became Cana the golden retriever.

Hermione became Ripper the cheetah.

Harry became a tall stag by the name of Hart.

This was all well and fine, and the five animals crossed the line, transformed back into humans, got dressed quickly and cast the spell to ward off cold. They were jumping and screaming (well, the girls were anyway) in the sprinklers, before anyone bothered to spare a glance towards the lake. They were met by a _very_ odd sight.

A/N 

Hey I know it's clichèd, but what else could Harry be, I ask you?

And in case you don't know, 'stag' and 'hart' are both names given to male deer. Heehee, the Hart idea I got from an episode of Angel – Wolfram and Hart. Guess what people? I have been on ff.net for months and months and I have read oodles of fics, but only last night when I was in bed did I actually realise what POV stood for. point of view! I got the gist; just never understood the acronym. Man, am I clever. 

The next chapter is going to be the most amazing, action-filled yet!! You will have your socks knocked off by what you discover. BUT I haven't actually written it yet; I only have the plan. This gives me major leverage and if you want it quickly than REVIEW!!!!!!!! I can write really quickly if the public wants – it all depends if I feel loved. Yes, I realise this is blackmail. 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!! J DO NOT SUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! L 


	18. Splash

Draco Malfoy cursed loudly and rearranged the girl he was supporting as he raced across the lawns to the lake. Aurora was getting weaker and weaker. She had collapsed minutes earlier and her health was failing rapidly. 

"Drake, hurry," she moaned. "I need water…" Draco gritted his teeth and looked genuinely worried.

"Just hang on, Misia. We're almost at the lake."

He bit his lip in anxiety and ran faster towards the water, carrying her totally now. She was getting paler and paler, and Aurora's eyes were losing their focus. Her eyeballs rolled up into her head and she started muttering incoherently, and her body became slack. They were so close to the water! He prayed that she would hold on.

Then, Aurora jerked suddenly as if she had received an electric shock and seemed to look around madly, even though her eyes were still out of focus. She grinned and Draco was chilled to the bone as she cackled maniacally. She clapped her hands together in excitement as if she was a child who had just got a new toy. She began to speak in that sing-song voice that scared Draco so much – it was the same voice she used when she was delirious, at Malfoy Manor.

"My son, wherefore seek'st thou thy face thus to hide?"

"Look, father, the Erl-King is close by our side!

Dost see not the Erl-King, with crown and with train?"

"My son, 'tis the mist rising over the plain."

Draco swore loudly. If he didn't know any better, that was _exactly_ the same poem she had recited last time! He quickly assumed that must mean she was delirious. He said, "Come on, Misia, we're almost there! Hold on!"

He ran up to the shore of the chilly lake. The water was crystal clear, so he could see down very deep. To his surprise, the giant squid reached out a long tentacle to the shore. He threw Aurora's inert form onto the tentacle, which curled around her and pulled her, clothes and all, deep down into the frigid lake. Draco sighed and sat down wearily, waiting for her to come back out. 

Life was tough when your cousin was a water nymph Princess.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Harry stood, slack-jawed, in the sprinklers. He looked over to the lake and saw the giant squid, which never really bothered itself with humans, actually _reach out a tentacle_ to grab some girl – _Aurora_, Harry thought with a jolt – and pull her deep into the freezing cold lake. Now, Harry saw Draco Malfoy, his least favourite person, sit down heavily next to the shore with a tired, worried expression on his face. 

Harry turned around slowly to look at his our friends. They were still in the positions they had been in moments ago. Ginny was on the ground, with her mouth hanging open; Lindsey was holding one of her arms as he knelt in next to her, obviously about to tickle her; Hermione and Ron were both standing stock still among the sprinklers. All five were totally shocked by what they saw. They were all looking stunned at the lake. 

Harry shook his head. Evidently, Malfoy had did not know that they were there. What was he doing anyway? Harry felt anger rush up inside him. What the hell was Malfoy trying to pull, throwing that poor girl into the water like that? True, the five Gryffindors were in the water too, but they had a warming spell cast upon them! Aurora would get hypothermia for sure. He looked towards his friends.

"What the…?"

Ron shook his head in bewilderment. "I have no idea, mate. I think we should check it out."

Nodding, they all transformed into their animal forms and crossed the line. They quickly hid behind some trees and went back to humans, changing back into school robes. Then, as one, they walked over to where Malfoy was sitting. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Draco Malfoy was sitting on the banks waiting for Aurora to come back up to the surface when he heard a twig snap. He whipped around in alarm and saw five Gryffindors looking at him dangerously. He quickly hid his unease under a mask of superiority.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" he hissed. "Sod off, and take your stupid little friends with you," he said venomously.

Harry glared. "We saw what you did, Malfoy. You threw your cousin into the lake! What the hell did you do that for?" he asked, looking daggers at Malfoy.

Draco's brow furrowed, and he stood up. He couldn't let them find out what she was! No one was allowed to know that Aurora was a water nymph princess, not even Harry Bleeding Superhero Goody-two-shoes Potter. Covering, Draco tried to defend himself.

"What, now you're following me? Sorry, I don't plan on giving any money to Weasley. You might as well just go," he said scathingly. 

Ron yelled out, "Shut up!" and started towards him, but was held back by Hermione and Lindsey. Ginny was glowing a bright red from anger and embarrassment.

Harry took a threatening step towards Malfoy. "Tell me what you did to her NOW," he said in an uneven voice.

Draco smirked. "Ooh, I'm so frightened," he said in a mocking voice and laughed. Regaining some composure, he glared vehemently. "Aren't we getting a little too protective, Potter? I mean, saving the public from M-" he stopped, and caught himself just in time, "Muggle-borns and Halfbloods is one thing, saving Slytherins – even my own cousin – is another."

Harry felt himself going red. So what if he felt protective of Aurora? It wasn't as if he – oh, damn. He _did._ Harry was falling for that girl like jumping off a skyscraper. So what if she was a – shudder – Malfoy? Aurora was sweet and pretty and friendly. He liked her.

Harry swallowed. "Why did you throw her in there anyway?"

Draco was starting to panic now. She was going to emerge from the water soon; and when she did, there would be a lot of explaining. They couldn't find out! He had to get those stupid Gryffindors gone, poste haste. 

"Look, it isn't your business," he said hurriedly, getting very upset now, "so just clear off – now! Go away! Sod off!" he yelled.

The five Gryffindors looked at each other in alarm, all thinking 'What the hell is his deal?' 

Just then, Hermione tilted her head to one side. "Can you hear that?" she said softly. The two boys stopped arguing and turned towards to lake. There was a small ripple in it, and the ripple was turning. It was turning? Yes! The ripple was swirling slowly in a clockwise direction – faster and faster and faster. The ripple was getting bigger and bigger. 

Then, a swell in the normally still water arose. There was a pop and Aurora appeared. Quite oblivious of what was going on around her, she shrieked with delight and started splashing about in the water. She was diving up and down quickly; just moving through the water and enjoying the cool water play over her skin. Aurora giggled and started to tickle the giant squid. She threw her head back and laughed aloud, then rolled over; arched her back and floated on top of the water, feeling the sensation of water and sighing with rapture.

She closed her eyes with a contented smile and she giggled with ecstacy.

"Hey, Drake, you should really come in here – the water's great!" she cried aloud, with a laugh. She waited for a response from him, but it wasn't the one she had expected.

"Damn."

She opened her eyes and rolled onto her stomach, looking at the shore. There, to her horror, she saw another five people staring at her like she was some animal at a zoo. She clapped her hands to her mouth in dismay and groaned. This was not good at all.

Harry stared in shock. What happened to Aurora? The girl who just emerged was Aurora, but…not. Her porcelain skin had gone from its pale creamy colour to – Harry shook his head, there was no other word for it – BLUE. He swallowed hard. _Her skin was BLUE. _Ok, that was beyond weird. And her blonde hair that was blue at the tips normally had turned completely blue now, not the gentle, pale azure of her skin; a fluoro blue that almost hurt to look at because it was so bright. Her skin was dotted with – _could it be? – _small rhinestones, in intricate patterns; and her Hogwarts robes had been replaced by strategically placed shells, and nothing more. Well, her top half was covered with strategic shells. Her bottom half was now – _A TAIL._ Yes, Aurora now had a long, bright jade green mermaid's tail that stopped just at her hips. 

Aurora Artemisia Malfoy bit her blue lip. All eyes were on her. In one fluid movement, she slapped herself on the forehead and cried out, "CRAP!" very loudly, and in a splash, she dived deep down into the lake. Draco's eyes widened.

"No, no! Misia, c'mon, come on, come back, please," he pleaded to the space where she was moments before. Then he turned back to the five Gryffindors still standing frozen with shock and glared at them. "Thanks," he drawled sarcastically, his anger evident. "Now, how the hell am I supposed to persuade her to come back out?"

Lindsey's brow furrowed. "What the heck did we do?" he asked defensively, sounding very confused.

"You scared and embarrassed her, and now she's upset that she has to come clean about this," Draco explained with frustration, pulling off his cloak. "I told you to go away!"

With that, he snubbed them totally. Ignoring them, he walked around to the other side of the lake and knelt on a big rock overhanging a deep part of the water. He cast a warming spell on himself leaned over and submerged himself to his waist. Through the clear depths, he could see Misia swimming in circles – her equivalent of pacing. He pulled out of the water, cast another spell on himself (this one for underwater communication) and went back under the waves to try to coax her out.

Meanwhile, the Gryffindor five were still standing in a group on the water bank. After a few moments, Ginny cleared her throat.

"Umm…shouldn't she be back up for air soon?" she said in a small, unsure voice.

Hermione shook her head. "I – I don't think so. Did you see her tail? That would seem to indicate that she has some type of water properties, so maybe she doesn't have to. I don't know what she is. Aurora can't be human, and she certainly isn't one of those ugly Merpeople in the lake."

After several minutes, Draco finally succeeded in getting Aurora to come up to the surface. Her blue cheeks had grown pink patches in them, a sure sign that indeed she was embarrassed. Draco took the spells off himself and dried off. The Giant Squid had lifted her out of the water and plopped her into his waiting arms, seeing as she didn't have legs and couldn't walk out of the shallows. He lifted her down onto the sand at the bank and let her dry off. The Gryffindors came closer, and stood around the two cousins. 

Draco sneered at them and leant back against a tree. Aurora's skin was slowly starting to return to its normal creamy colour as she dried off in the sun. Her hair was also returning to blonde. The five sat down and all looked awkward for a few moments, before Ron spoke.

"So. Um. Mind telling us what the hell is happening?" He said, rather bluntly.

Aurora gulped and trembled visibly. She caught Draco's reassuring eye and bit her lip before continuing.

"Okay. I'm…well, I'm a…" she faltered, looking to Draco for support. He finished for her.

"Aurora's half water spirit. Her mother was my aunt – a witch. Her father was the King of the Water sprites and Sea Nymphs. Because of this, she needs water a lot. Normal tap water doesn't work – Aurora needs to be submerged in a sea or river or lake every once in a while."

He glared at them vehemently. "No one is allowed to know. Don't tell anyone: I mean it," he said threateningly.

Lindsey was thinking. "But if her father was the King, that must mean that she - " 

"I'm a Princess. Yeah." She sighed heavily as Hermione gasped. "Let me tell you, being a princess isn't all good. At all."

Ron blinked. "Why not?" he laughed. "I though that was every girl's dream."

Aurora frowned and sat next to Draco, taking his hand. "Not mine," she said softly. "Being a princess, all those who dwell in water, like fish and merpeople and giant squids," here she gestured towards the lake, "respect me a lot. They are my subjects, and I have power over them. I also have power over water." 

She held out her hand in the direction of the lake, and made the water swirl. "Power that Voldemort wants," she said bitterly, and spat his name out. Draco took over.

"Voldemort was told of her power when she was born. Her mother, Morganna, accidentally let her brother know."

Harry stopped him and gave a wry smile. "Lucius."

Draco laughed contemptuously and shook his head. "Obviously, 

he told the Dark Lord. You-Know-Who only got his hands on her in the last few months."

Aurora hissed. "He murdered his own sister to get to me. He killed my mother and tortured me, his niece, for weeks on end in his own house; to persuade me to join the dark side."

Harry's heart was breaking for this poor girl. He turned to Malfoy. "What, and you just let this happen in your house?" he said incredulously, his eyes flashing daggers.

Malfoy snapped. He had been putting up with these sodding Gryffindors for the last twenty minutes, and this was just enough. He stood up abruptly. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked dangerously.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Enough with the testosterone. Couldn't you two just get along? Anyway, it was Draco who saved me." With that, she waved her tail in alarm and tugged hard on Draco's robe.

"Can you take me behind that tree there please?" she asked quickly, indicating a large oak tree. His eyes widened and he nodded, picking her up and turning his back.

Harry frowned at the strange request. "Why do you want to go behind that tree?" he asked curiously.

Aurora looked over Draco's shoulder and smiled in an odd sort of way. 

"Because I'm almost dry which means that I'm about to lose my tail and get legs again. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not wearing an awful lot." She said with mischief in her eye.

Harry turned bright red, and stuttered, "Oh..right," and looked away, embarrassed. 

Draco was almost there when she began glowing blue, and he dumped her unceremoniously behind the tree before springing away in alarm. "Misia! You could have given me some warning," he said, "You didn't say you were transforming _that_ soon."

From behind the tree, Harry saw some blonde hair from behind the tree trunk rise upwards – Aurora must have stood up on her legs. 

"Umm…Does anyone have clothes?" she asked.

Draco hung his head. "Damn. I knew I forgot something,"

"WHAT? You forgot my spare clothes? _Drake,_" she yelled.

Hermione stepped forward. "Accio clothes!" she yelled, pointing her wand towards the lake. Moments later, a bundle of wet, soggy robes appeared. Hermione performed a quick drying spell and handed the clothes to Draco. He gulped, and looked at Hermione with a scandalised expression. 

"What? I'm not going behind there."

"Why not? She's your cousin."

"Yes! Cousin…nakedness…girl…guy…ugh," he shuddered, turning away with a look of disgust, ignoring the chilly, "excuse me?" that came faintly from behind the tree. 

"My father might be a bastard, but he did teach me proper manners."

Hermione shook her head wearily. "Whatever. Here you are, Aurora," she said, handing the clothes behind the tree.

After a few moments, Aurora was dressed again. She came out and spread her arms wide. "Look at me, all human again," she said.

Ginny sighed and stood up, pulling Lindsey with her. "Okey dokey. Can we go back to the castle now? I think it's about dinner time."

As they were all walking up the steps, Draco and Harry steadily ignoring each other, Harry heard a rush inside his head.

__

Hey, Harry, came Rose's voice.

__

Are you planning to visit me anytime soon?

Harry smiled. 'Yeah, tomorrow night,' he thought.

__

Okay. Bring that prophecy, I think we should work on it. Oh, and Harry – 

'Yes?' prompted Harry.

__

Bring Aurora and that obnoxious jerk Draco as well.

Harry laughed. This would be fun.

A/N

Hmm I loved writing this. This is my longest chappie yet. I only got ONE review. Does blackmail mean nothing to you people?????? Oh well. 

Thankyou mightily, you kind person who did bother to review. Bless you. 

C'mon, please review. I promise never to be mean again. : P

Review!!!!!!!!!


	19. Discoveries

A/N ppl, there is some swearing in this. I changed rating to M15+ just to be sure. Thanks!

The next day came and classes were boring. Harry had Divination with Firenze, which was okay except for the fact that they were meditating today. Harry highly recommended sleeping during class. Then he had Herbology (they were studying poisonous mushrooms used in potions) and Care of Magical Creatures. Harry noticed during his inconspicuous staring at Aurora that she found this very funny, being one herself. 

He found that things were as bad as normal between the Slytherins and Gryffindors; but Harry saw after a while that many of the other Slytherins seemed to really hate Aurora; and were plainly scared of Malfoy. After thinking about this for a while, Harry reasoned that many of them had Death Eaters for parents, who would have been informed of Malfoy's betrayal of his father and Lord Voldemort, and Aurora's part in all this. Of course they must be scared.

The day went smoothly and Harry was a bit bored – that is, until he opened a broom closet to trim the twigs on his Firebolt, only to find Ginny and Lindsey making out like there was no tomorrow. 

Harry flushed and adverted his eyes, while hiding a huge grin. He'd been waiting for this to happen for a while now.

Ginny pulled away with her lips very swollen and red; a sign of a well-kissed woman. She didn't look embarrassed or put off at all. She tilted her head to the side. "Hi," she said casually.

"Um…you'd do well to just forget this," said Lindsey before recapturing the redhead's mouth with his own, a mischievous grin on his face. 

Harry cleared his throat and slammed the door on them. He quickly decided that he would prefer homework to going back in there to ask for his Firebolt.

They waited until midnight again before meeting up in the common room. Lindsey and Ginny transformed. Ron was about to whisper the incantation before Hermione took his arm.

"Ron, the three of us are just going to use the cloak again," she said.

"Why?" asked Ron. "I like transforming."

"Well, those two," Hermione indicated Ginny and Lindsey, "Are smaller, and no one bats an eyelid if there is a stray kitten or bird in the castle. A huge dog, however, could arouse some suspicion."

Ron nodded with a smile. "Good point. Although it's better than being a cheetah or a stag, isn't it?" he added laughing.

They got under the cloak and went off to the Tower in the same fashion as they did nights before. This time, though, there was no Dumbledore in the Tower when they got up there. Rose was all alone, and she looked annoyed.

"Hey Rose," greeted Harry. His face fell when he saw her expression. "What's wrong?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, that jerk Malfoy is annoying me. Whatever." She waved her hands in a dismissive gesture and smiled. "Anyhow, he'll be here soon. Let's enjoy his absence as long as we can, and work on that prophecy."

Hermione pulled the scroll she had copied it on out of her robes pocket. Spreading it out on the bed, she took a seat. Lindsey flopped down on a beanbag and pulled Ginny with him. She giggled and slid into his lap, where he kissed the pulse point on her neck before looking back up. Ron sat on the floor next to Harry, while Rose and Hermione both took the bed. Evidently, they were going to lead this discussion together.

Rose looked awkward suddenly. She was looking steadily at her hands and was fiddling in a nervous gesture. She spoke quietly, her voice laced with apprehension.

"Ah, um," she gulped and cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Um, Harry, um, before we start, I think there's something you should know."

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Well, you're certainly looking nervous enough," he said laughing. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Rose took a deep breath and stood up. She started bouncing on the balls of her feet, and rolled her head on her shoulders.

"Okay," she said, her voice light. Not a good light; a light that seemed to indicate that she was panicking. "Umm…Professor Dumbledore didn't exactly say I could tell you, but then, whenever have rules stopped me before," she giggled, breathing fast.

"Harry. You remember how I said you were on my Speed-Dial?"

Harry tipped his head to one side in thought. "Yeah…"

"Well, there's a reason for that. And, really, how I got my powers in the first place. You see, you know how You-Know-Who attacked you when you were a year old, and kind of gave you some of his powers by accident when he attacked?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I'm a Parseltongue, and I get weird dreams. It's like Voldemort and I have a sort of - " he trailed off and his eyes widened behind his glasses. " – _telepathic connection._"

Rose gave a weak smile. "Yeah. He attacked my family, and it didn't go well, and _voila!_ powers."

Harry gaped. "I'm so sorry! What happened to your family? Are they…?"

Rose sat down and swallowed. "Um, well, most of them died. My mum and dad were both killed. I survived, and was taken to Hogwarts to live here. Dumbledore thought that some of my powers were too dangerous for me to be around muggles if I couldn't control myself."

Hermione shook her head in confusion. "Hang on, I thought Voldemort only had one downfall – and that was the Potters."

Rose laughed nervously. "Well, that's absolutely true. Harry, as I said, there is a reason why you're on my Speed-Dial. And why I'm named after a flower," she said, breathing way too fast.

"Harry, I'm your twin sister."

Harry stared. Suddenly unaware of what was happening around him, his mind was awash with thoughts. He had a sister! He had a family. He wasn't alone any more. This meant that he wasn't the only Potter around. And a twin, too? Finally, someone who would truly understand what it was like to lose your family, and have powers you couldn't control. Harry was numb. He had just found his twin sister, a part of himself that he never even knew was missing. His heart soaring, he looked over at Rose with disbelieving eyes.

"Oh my God, I have a sister," he said quietly, as if still deciding if it were true in his own head. She looked just like a young version of his mother, except with his father's eyes…_their_ mother, _their_ father.

He grinned, and jumped onto her before she knew what was happening. Laughing like a madman, he started yelling out as loudly as he could.

"I have a sister! I HAVE A SISTER!" he gave her a huge hug, picked her up and started swinging her around and around. She laughed, and tightened her arms around his neck. Lindsey looked thoughtful. No wonder his mother had pictures of the three of them at home. He never realised that they were twins.

"Potter's sister, eh? No wonder I can't stand her," came a casual remark from behind them.

Rose landed and looked around. She glared at Draco Malfoy's shape leaning casually against the doorframe as he smirked at her.

"Shut the hell up, Malfoy," said a highly annoyed Rose.

He only smirked harder and walked inside. Aurora trailed behind him and, rolling her eyes, said calmly, "Draco, play nice."

Instantly, his smirk softened and he nodded. "If you say so, Misia."

Harry was quite surprised. Aurora had so much authority over her cousin. Clearly, he was wrapped around her little finger. Smiling, Aurora sat herself down next to Harry. 

"So, what're we doing?" she asked. Hermione filled her in. 

"Do you remember that weird poem the Sorting Hat recited on the first day?"

"Yeah, it was creepy."

"Well, turns out it was a prophecy of some kind. I have a copy of it here, and we're here to work it out."

Draco snorted derisively. "Come on Granger, I'm sure you've worked it out all by yourself. That's what you do, isn't it?" he asked scornfully.

Out of nowhere, Rose's arm came swinging down and she whacked him soundly upside the head. 

"Ow! What the-" he looked around glaring.

Rose smiled sweetly at him. "My room, my rules. Rule Number One: no arrogant jerks."

He only sneered in a way that would make most girls either run away screaming or swoon right there and then. "Uh huh. Definitely a Potter," he drawled to himself.

She rolled her eyes, not bothering to decide whether that was an insult or compliment. "Anyway, can we please focus?" Hermione looked down.

" 'Eight will join, eight will love;

The Puzzle they shall right.

The Bird of Flame will guide them 

As they go and win the fight.' 

Obviously, the bird of flame must be the Phoenix. The rest I'm not too sure of."

Ginny bit her lip. "Well, we need to think. What is wrong in the world, and what would we need to fight? Why is it a puzzle?"

Aurora sighed next to Harry. "I can tell you that: You-Know-Who."

Harry nodded. "His name before he became the Dark Lord was Tom Riddle. Riddle, Puzzle – it must be talking about defeating Voldemort."

Aurora hissed at the use of his name. Harry looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, but I'm taught that fear of a name increases-"

"-the fear of the thing itself," finished his twin. They smiled at each other.

Ron shook his head. "Honestly, if you two start finishing each other's sentences, that'll just be sad."

Hermione laughed. "Moving on.

'Sun marked of blanc Apollo

the fire inside him burns.

The Dawn and Moon shall follow,

Two arcane loves take turns.'"

Draco snickered. "Well, part of that is obvious. The first two lines are weird though."

Ron frowned. "What's clear?"

"The Dawn and Moon. She's here." He said, pointing at Aurora.

Hermione sat up with a gleam in her eye. "Of course! Aurora was the Roman Goddess of Dawn! I'm not too sure about the Moon, though."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you ever wondered why I call Aurora Misia all the time?"

Harry chuckled. "Never thought you were smart enough, but I'm not one to point fingers…"

He was silenced by a glare from Malfoy. "Actually, her middle name's Artemisia."

Aurora nodded. "When we were little he couldn't say Aurora, so he called me Misia instead." 

"Overshare, love," Draco intervened. He didn't like revealing his childhood to his rival.

Aurora smiled cheekily. "Aww, come on, Dwakey!" she said in a baby voice, pouting as she clung onto his arm. His pale face turned slightly pink and he was pulled down on the bed. "Anyway, my middle name is Artemisia because, being a Water Sprite, the moon is very important to my people as it controls the tides. Also, I'm Cancerian, so the whole Zodiac thing works since Cancer is a Water sign."

Lindsey nodded. "So, who is the Sun dude mentioned?"

Everyone looked blankly at each other before Hermione continued.

"'Mercury helps deliver the message,

Her role in this is true.

The last of six joins the eight

To start our lives anew.'"

Ron sighed. "Well, I have no idea," he said heavily, ignoring the 'tell me something I don't know, Weasley,' that came from Draco.

Hermione shrugged.

"'Stealthy Superstition joins

Justice will prevail.

The love of last yet first of seven

Shall never rightly fail.'"

Ginny jumped, landing again on the dark haired teen beneath her.

"Oooh! That's you, sweetie!" she said gleefully. Lindsey looked at her strangely, so she elaborated. "Stealthy Superstition? Need I say Felix?"

Lindsey grinned. "Of course!"

Aurora frowned. "Huh?"

Lindsey smiled even more widely. "Well, I'm that superstition. I'm a black cat," he said proudly. "An Animagiamo!"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Oh really?" he said calculatingly.

Harry frowned. "Yeah, we all are, Malfoy. Well, all except Rose," he amended. 

Rose smiled. "Well, can we change that?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "Sure we can. Stand up," he commanded, and Rose stood. "Anima Arcana!"

In an instant, Rose was transformed into an Egyptian Sphinx – a smaller version of the one Harry had faced in the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year, around the same size as Ripper. She stretched, prowling around the room and swiping at Malfoy's heels with large, sharp claws before leaping back on the bed and turning back into a human, where she sat looking at him smugly. 

"Very hip," she said. "Look at me, all Egyptian!"

Draco had a neutral expression, but Aurora knew he was really impressed. "So," he said. "What are the rest of you?"

He found out in a minute when Harry transformed into Hart the stag, Ron into Cana the golden retriever, Hermione into Ripper the cheetah, Lindsey into Felix the kitten and Ginny into Tweet the finch.

When he was told of the nicknames though, he burst out laughing. "Oh, really, that's just precious," he said condescendingly, before biting his lip and giggling in a manly way. 

Rose slapped his shoulder half-heartedly. "There's no need to be jealous," she baited him. He smirked.

"What makes you think I'm not an Animagiamo already?" he asked. Rose lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. 

"Because you haven't shown us yet. Go on, what are you?" she said, interested. "A ferret?" Harry and Ron collapsed with laughter.

Draco flushed and quickly cast the spell on himself. In a puff of yellow smoke, he transformed into a…a…

Harry gaped and stood up. "Crap, where'd he go?" Hermione shrugged helplessly and looked around. She felt something soft and slithery brush up against her leg silently. She gasped and looked around. Rose's bedroom was always dark, and the light of the faeries simply wasn't enough.

"Rose," she called. "Can we please have some more sunlight?" Rose nodded and pulled hr crystal onto her lap. She closed her eyes and pushed forward with both her hands into a wall. There, she screwed up her eyes and in a slow motion, separated her hands, palms facing outwards. Slowly, ever so slowly, the wall separated. It formed a small hole, which began to get bigger and bigger until there was a large gap in the wall, which served as a window.

Rose smiled wryly. "Hey, guys, try not to look at the walls for too long. It's not healthy."

Harry lifted a questioning eyebrow and looked around. Sunlight had filtered into the room, so now for the first time Harry could actually see what her room looked like. He gasped (in a manly fashion). The walls were a hypnotic swirl of blue and purple, which went round and round and up and down like a lava lamp. Harry shook himself and forced himself to look away.

Hermione whooped, pointing downwards. Harry followed her gaze and saw something like a shadow on the floor, although it was moving on its own accord. In truth, it looked like a thick black cloak. 

"He's a Lethifold!" she said. Then, he changed back. Draco was standing leaned up against the wall with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm so underestimated," he said sadly. "No one appreciates the Slytherin Prince."

"Can you really blame them?" Was the waspish reply from Rose. Harry grinned harder. He liked having a sister. Twice the insults.

Draco frowned and waited for a defensive statement to come from his cousin. It never came. He looked around and saw that Aurora was standing, staring at the walls with a blank look in her eyes. She was swaying gently, and her head was waving back and forth. She had a goofy grin on her face and smiled, giggling.

"Heeeheeeheee. Pretty wall. Hello, wall. You're pretty!" with another crazed giggle she fell backwards. Draco was too far away to do anything, but she fell perfectly back into Harry's arms – where she promptly began twisting and raving and giggling again.

Draco conjured up a glass of water and threw it on her face. She froze and shut her eyes tight. "And suddenly, I'm wet." She said slowly, opening her eyes. She noticed that she was still in Harry's arms and sprung up again, blushing.

"Um…sorry about that. Temporary insanity. I have some issues with me going crazy every now and then."

"I've noticed," said Draco wryly.

Rose smiled crookedly. "Sorry, my bad. I should have warned you about the walls. They do tend to hypnotise a lot. That's why it's so dark in here." 

Quickly, they performed the Animagiamo spell on Aurora. They turned her into a phoenix, which was fine except for one thing…

"She's blue." Ginny shook her head. "Could have sworn phoenixes were red." 

Draco shrugged, gazing at her pale blue and white plumage which resembled ice, just as normal phoenix's plumage resembled flames. "She's a phoenix all right. The whole Water thing makes her blue. Also, she doesn't burst into flames to regenerate, she melts to water, then is reborn. Weird huh."

She soared around the room before turning back into a human. It was just a pity she forgot to land before transforming, because she fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ouch," she groused.

Ginny clapped her hands together. "Names!" she shouted gleefully, ignoring the daggers in the look Draco sent her way. "I vote we call her Ice!"

Lindsey stepped forward. "Rose is called something Egyptian…I dunno…"

Harry shrugged. "Cleopatra?" 

Draco smirked. "Nefertiri?"

Rose tilted her head to the side. "Nefertiri means most beautiful of them all. I like it!" she bubbled, then sobered. She glared over at Malfoy suspiciously.

"Flattery? Now I'm scared. What do you want?" she said distrustfully. Malfoy only ever said something like that when there was a motive involved.

Draco just smiled charmingly. "Can't I give you a compliment?"

Rose just glared harder. "No, you can't. It's…unnerving. What's in it for you to be nice?"

He smiled even more disarmingly. "I can be charming if I want to be."

"Oh, no you don't. I know what you're trying to do. Luring me into a false sense of security? Not gonna happen, you egotistical power-monger."

"Whatever's the problem, my dear?"

"YOU! You can't psyche out the psychic, you moron."

"Oh yes I can. You can't get into my mind, remember?"

While they started bickering, Lindsey looked at Ginny and Aurora. "What's he up to? He said to the two girls.

Aurora sighed and rolled her eyes. "He really doesn't like her, you know. Draco was trying to freak her out by being nice. It's worked, too. Look."

Meanwhile, Harry was talking to Hermione and Ron. "This is disturbing," he murmured. "But pretty cool. My twin sister hates him too."

Aurora stepped froward finally and pulled Harry towards the fighting pair. "Can you help me stop them?" she said dryly.

Harry gave a small smile. "Seems a shame, but okay."

They both stepped forward and pulled apart their respective family member. Aurora smiled at Draco. "We can call you Shadow," she said.

Rose suddenly gave a start. "Dumbledore's coming! Quickly, go!" she urged them all. "Come back in three days! Same time!"

A/N

Sorry this took so bloody long! I made some changes in the plot I just wasn't happy with. An uber-long chappie for all you out there. I'll try to keep it coming.

Thanks 4 reviewing, everyone. Please send more reviews, tell me how it's going.

NEXT CHAPPIE: an explosive face off between Rose and Draco that no one is going to want to miss! 

REVIEW!!!


	20. Naughty Daddy

A/N some verbal abuse here –fighting and arguing. Lots of insults. :P

Dumbledore hummed as he walked up to check on Rose. For some reason, she wasn't focussing as much as she used to. She seemed really tired some mornings, like she hadn't been to sleep at all. He walked up the corridor, and paused at the shard of crystal in the wall. Opening the secret door, he walked in. Walking past the Meeting Room and the Sphere, he strode into Rose's bedroom to wish her good night, as he was going away and would be back very late. 

The first thing he noticed was that Rose looked a bit pink, like she had just done something very quickly. The second was the pink crystal she was holding in her hands, like she had just used it. The third, however, caught his eye; and was the most suspicious by far.

There was a gaping hole in her wall.

Far too late, Rose drew in air very quickly and whipped around. She had forgotten to close it again! There was sunlight pouring into her bedroom and it lit up her whole room. She gulped visibly.

__

Oh…dear…Lord, she thought to herself. In the depths of her mind, she faintly heard Harry thinking 'What?' She didn't bother answering him. 

Dumbledore looked at her. His light blue eyes peered out over his half-moon spectacles, and he surveyed her thoroughly. There was an odd look in his eyes, which Rose had never seen before. He was not disappointed – that she could have handled. He looked sad; like some poor old man sitting in the park whose ducks had swam off before he could finish feeding them breadcrumbs.

Her heart fell to her stomach with a thud. He blinked, and closed the door behind him. He walked over to her and sat down on the bed.

"And what might you be up to, my dear?" he said softly. A normal person would not have noticed it, but Rose was extrasensory. She could just hear the hurt in his voice, like he knew she was doing something he would not approve of.

She swallowed. "Um…just…ah…" she faltered. How could she lie to him? He would know instantly.

She took a breath, and looked him square in the eyes. She quickly weighed up all her options. Fess up and get in trouble, lie and betray his trust, or somehow find another way out. 

"I'm a troubled teen. You may not want to know what I'm up to. What with the growing up issues and the hormones, I'm bound to be less than a saint on occasion. Not that I'm a bad person or did anything sinner-esque, but…hey, teenager…" 

She had quickly decided that she might get out of this with a sympathy vote. Make out that it was acceptable to be a rebel.

"After all, Professor; you were a teen once, too," she reminded him with a wink.

Professor Dumbledore blinked and smiled, a twinkle in his eye again. Indeed, the old man in the park had his ducks come back.

"Sweetheart, this may sound odd considering how old I look," he chuckled, "But I wasn't born yesterday. I used that excuse on _my_ parents and elders, and it never worked for me either. Now, I respect what you are doing. I just wish you would tell me."

Again, Rose felt the guilt come back full force. "It's not that I don't trust you," she burst out. "I…hey," she said suddenly, defensively. 

"I wasn't doing anything wrong. You never said I couldn't have friends. You just never said I could…so I took the initiative," she finished brightly, beaming at him. 

__

SCORE! She thought. _Can we say loophole? Harry, I think I'm off the hook._

Dumbledore just nodded as if he already knew. "Go on," he prodded gently.

She coloured. "Well, you did say I should work more with Draco and Aurora," she said, wrinkling her nose with distaste at the mention of the blonde boy's name.

"Yes…"

"And, well, Lindsey already knew about me, so he's been up here."

"I see. That's allright."

"And…Well, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Harry may have been up here as well."

At this, Rose cringed inwardly, waiting for his shocked reprimand. It never came. Instead, he just nodded serenely. She stopped and looked at him. He put together the tips of his long, tapering fingers.

"Well, I had suspected as much. Did you tell Harry about you two being twins?" he said.

Rose looked down sheepishly. "Ah…yes, actually. I did."

Dumbledore 'mmm'ed. "And did you tell him about me?"

Rose looked up into Dumbledore's big blue eyes and held his penetrating gaze. She slowly shook her head.

"No. I didn't. I thought you would like to tell him," she said softly.

Professor Dumbledore smiled and stood up. "Very well. I suppose the eight of you were working on deciphering the Prophecy?" he said knowledgeably. 

Rose was about to answer when she stopped, her mouth open. "What was that you said?" she asked slowly. "The…_eight_ of us?" the corner of her lips were slowly turning upwards into a wide, Julia Roberts-style grin. "_Eight…_"

She shook her head to snap back to reality. "Ah, yes! Yes, we were working on the prophecy."

He smiled. "And I believe I just helped. Now, child: please don't fear being caught by me anymore. The others shall be allowed to continue visiting. I must ask you, though – DO NOT open the walls again. It's not safe. I am your guardian, and I insist upon it being closed for your own safety. I'll see you tomorrow, then, sweetheart. Be good."

She smiled hugely and stood up, wrapping her arms around the old man.

"Bye." He walked to the door, and she followed him, waving.

"Love you!"

He smiled and waved. "Love you too, sweetheart."

Rose closed her door and walked back into her room, sitting cross-legged on her bed. She heaved a sigh of relief. How unbelievable, she had gotten off the hook! 

Her Great-Grandpa was cool, for an old guy. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day came and classes were looming after a busy night. The seven students who were out late last night – Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Lindsey, Aurora and Draco – all felt like a bomb had hit them.

Ginny groaned and dragged herself down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat down heavily at the Gryffindor table and cradled her head in her hands, barely noticing when Lindsey sat down next to her. It took her three whole minutes to realise that she was trying to take a bite out of her plate instead of her toast.

The others were just as bad. Over at the Slytherin table, Pansy was cooing over Draco in a way that made a few other girls sick from watching. Either that or they were just jealous, as he was actually quite popular with some girls – even if most thought he was evil. Draco himself looked quite disgusted, and had to move away quite quickly. Aurora almost fell asleep at the breakfast table, and would have fallen into her bowl of porridge if Harry hadn't rescued her as he 'coincidently' walked past their table. 

First lesson for the Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth years was Defence Against the Dark Arts. They had a new teacher this year – or, rather, an old one. This year, Professor Lupin had returned. Some parents weren't all that pleased; however, most of these 'disapproving' parents had children in Slytherin and were currently in Azkaban for being convicted Death Eaters. Thus, the movement was passed.

Lupin was very happy to be back, although he was still sad about what happened to Sirius. He was eager to be posted at Hogwarts if only to keep an eye on Harry. During class, Lupin noticed that six of his students were almost asleep, so he decided to be kind and make that lesson an easy one. He cleared his throat. 

"Class, today we are going to explore some dark practices. To begin with, please turn to page one hundred and thirty-three of your texts." He waited until all the students were ready before continuing. 

"We are going to start a unit on Tarot, which, in this context, has nothing to do with Divination whatsoever. This is a practice which helps one to learn more about a person."

Lavender and Parvati dropped their jaws simultaneously. "But we have studied this!" Parvati cried. Lavender nodded. "Professor Trelawney showed us how the Death omens are found, and when to stay low, and lots of interesting things about Tarot," she said triumphantly.

Professor Lupin frowned and took off his glasses to clean them with his robes. "Yes, well…this course will be taking a slightly different direction. For example, the Death card does not actually represent death. It stands for a time of change, or a challenge."

Aurora was in the back row on the Slytherin side, and sucked in her breath. "The Tarot speaks volumes without words. The Queen of Cups is open and fluid, like... She speaks her mind but is easily hurt… others seek to corrupt her." She seemed to drift off, once again. Draco sighed deeply.

"Sir, do you mind if I take Aurora outside for a minute? I don't think she's feeling all that well."

Lupin, having been told of the predicament Aurora was in by Professor Dumbledore, nodded absently. Draco gently took Aurora by the elbow, who was now giggling faintly to herself, and led her outside; ignoring the questioning looks sent his way by most of the students. Once outside, he conjured up some water to spurt out of the tip of his wand into her face. She jumped, obviously startled, then looked around and slumped.

"I did it again, didn't I?" she asked glumly. "I am such a nutcase. Why Dumbledore keeps me here, I'll never know."

She rolled her eyes, clearly frustrated with herself, and walked back inside. Draco closed his eyes and ran a hand through his platinum hair. Up til last summer, life at Hogwarts had been pretty easy. Now he had to worry about OWLs results, Voldemort, Aurora, his Father, and that prophecy was really starting to irk him. That, and now he had not one, but _two_ Potters to infuriate him. He snorted. Yep, life sure was fun. Not.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dumbledore was in his office, humming slightly to himself when he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw that someone was about to come into his fireplace. 

He got up from his chair and walked over to the fireplace, where he knelt in front of it. He waited as a head slowly appeared in the hearth. 

First he noted the sharply angled face. Then the piercing grey eyes. Last, he noted the long white-blonde hair.

Dumbledore stiffened, and stood up. He clasped his hands in front of him and waited. "Lucius. How good to see you again." He said calmly.

Lucius was a clever man, and he knew how to work people and not lose his cool. "Dumbledore. Good morning," he began pleasantly, apart from the sharp edge to his words. "I trust you are well?"

The old man smiled inwardly. So, this is how he wanted to play it then? "Well, a little older than last time we met, but nonetheless well," he said smoothly. The blonde man's head in the fireplace smiled coldly.

"To business. I was wondering if I could have a chat with my son, please, and my niece."

Dumbledore didn't miss a beat. He smiled. "I'm sorry, Mr Malfoy, but they are both in the middle of classes right now."

"Well then I need to speak with them as soon as possible." The voice was at a dangerously even level, like he was carefully controlling his temper.

Professor Dumbledore stared at him. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow it," he said firmly.

Lucius Malfoy knew he couldn't argue with the man. He would, however, get his way. In a rush of flames, he disappeared from the grate.

Dumbledore cursed silently to himself. 'Rose?' He called in his mind. 

__

Yes, Grandpa? Came the answer.

'I need you to inform Minerva and Remus immediately that there may be a threat with Lucius Malfoy,' he thought hurriedly.

In a second, she was gone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Remus Lupin was startled. _Professor Lupin, Dumbledore says that there may be a situation with Mr Malfoy,_ she said quickly. Lupin was in the middle of a lecture on Tarot when he heard the message. He calmly went on with his lesson, so as not to alarm the students.

Harry sat up in his seat and shot Lupin a look. Harry heard every word that was said. So, Mr Malfoy was here. He must be after Draco and Aurora! He thought miserably, his heart twisting uncomfortably when he thought about that bastard hurting the innocent blonde girl. He looked over his shoulder inconspicuously, and noted that Aurora was fine. She was sitting in her seat, looking a little annoyed with her drifting-off earlier, but apart from that, she was fine.

No one noticed that Draco wasn't back yet.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

In the hall, Draco was just about to re-enter the classroom when he thought he heard something behind him. He spun to thew source of the sound, but there was nothing. He waited for a second, and picked up a movement in his peripheral. He scowled. Not knowing was like not being in control, a thought he didn't like to entertain.

He stood up, drawing himself to his full height (rather tall indeed, actually) and took out his wand. 

He gasped slightly when he heard it again. "Hello?" he called uncertainly. "Who's there?" he said, his voice growing stronger and more confident. His heart began to beat more quickly. There it was again!

Draco whipped around with a speed only Seekers have just in time to see the thing move from sight. He gulped. It was long…and tall…and it had the head of a lion. But wait! It wasn't a lion. The body was different, paler and had shaggier fur. The tail was different too, almost like a dragon's with spikes all down the green scales.

He gasped. The thing was a Chimaera! How the hell did it get into Hogwarts?

Heart racing, he took a step back. The thing turned and looked him square in the eye, and growled deeply, taking a small, slow step forward. It was looking at him calculatingly, like it was really after him. Predator and Prey. That's what it came down to. Draco steeled himself, and cast the first spell that entered his mind. 

"Impedimenta!" he cried, stumbling backwards beginning a hasty retreat away from the classrooms, so as not to endanger any of the other students. He knew he had to get to Dumbledore immediately. Racing through the halls, he knew from the growls and heavy footsteps following him that the creature was pursuing him. He soared up the stairs towards the Headmaster's office, but the chimaera was gaining on him. He was running down a corridor at top-speed when he saw Dumbledore standing in the hall.

"Professor!" he choked out. "Chimaera – it's right behind me!" he panted, trying desperately to catch his breath. Dumbledore's normally cheery eyes were filled with anger, and the blue poolssuddenly turned into cold chips. 

"In here, boy," he said quickly, and pushed Draco inside a room. Unaware of what was happening, Draco felt Dumbledore close the door behind him, and leant back upon the wall, hand to his chest, trying to catch his breath. His eyes were tightly shut, and he forced himself to regain composure.

"Um…what are you doing here?" came a strangled voice from in front of him. Without opening his eyes, Draco groaned.

"Oh, no. Not _you_. First a chimaera, then this. What next?" he said, and slowly opened his eyes, looking around to make sure.

Yes, it was true. Dumbledore had pushed him inside the Meeting Room, and told him to stay there. He sighed and looked over at Rose – then stopped when he noticed that she was lying in an disheveled heap on the floor, looking very upset and surprised.

"Uh…why are you on the floor?" he asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She narrowed her eyes and sniffed, desperately trying to hold onto the last scrap of dignity she had. Rose pushed her bright hair out of her face and pulled her dress back down, covering what had not been before. Slowly, she sat up with a pained expression.

"I was practising my levitating when I heard you come in. When you slammed the door, my concentration broke and I fell. Thank you very much," she said caustically. 

"Well, perhaps if you weren't so clumsy it wouldn't have happened," he said smoothly. "Most people grow out of it when they're eight or so."

She began to go pink. "Yeah? Well…so's your face!" she cried.

He just laughed. "Oh, really? And when was the last time _that_ insult was used?"

"Shut up and get a life, you albino rat!"

"Oh, yeah? Why don't you make me? Oh, that's right, you'd have to defrost first. Must be hard, being such a frigid bitch all the time."

She gasped with anger and got up painfully. 

"What is your problem? I mean, there is something seriously scary loose in the school, Voldemort is after you, and everyone in the world minus your cousin thinks you're an obnoxious prick; and all you can do is be nasty about it and insult me! What the hell is your problem?" she screamed, taking threatening steps towards him so that they were about three feet apart. 

"The only problem I have at the moment is that the chimaera was probably sent by my father to kill me, and I'm stuck in here with YOU!" He yelled back, taking a step forward and shortening the distance between them.

"You arrogant prick!"

"You are such a cow!"

"Stuck up asshole!"

"Frigid Bitch!"

"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, leaning forward to emphasise her point

"I HATE YOU TOO!" he roared back, never one to back down from a fight; although he made it a rule never to hit girls (despite how much he wanted to in this situation). He looked at her with utter loathing, his fear of the chimaera turned into hot hatred. 

They glared at each other so venomously that there were sparks flying from both their eyes.

But these sparks weren't _just_ from anger. 

In a instant, Draco dove forward and his mouth bore hungrily down on hers. At exactly the same time, Rose gasped, jumped up and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and kissed her even more deeply, leaning forward over her small frame. She stood on tiptoe to reach him and kissed him with all the strength she had. With a small moan, he pressed his tongue against her lips. Only too willing, she parted her lips quickly and they began to French kiss as their tongues battled for dominance.

Thus began the Grand Finals in tonsil hockey. 

They were making out for about ten seconds before pulling apart, and jumping to opposite sides of the room like they suffered an electric shock from each other. Which, actually, wasn't far from the truth.

There they stood, he looking down at her with surprise and she looking up at him with wide eyes.

"We _so_ need to get out of here," he said with conviction. 

"Uh huh," she said weakly, horrified at what she had done. How could she have sunk so low? In one movement, they both darted to the door.

Chimaera or no chimaera, they were NOT staying in the same room together. 

A/N

Hey people!!!!!!! Ooh, I know lots of you Buffy fans will recognise this. gleeful giggle hell yeah! I love electric relationships.

I dedicate this to Aleana, whose name I cannot spell. You are the best reviewer I have ever met!!!! Kudos to you!!!!

To all you others, PLEASE review.

Sorry I haven't posted for sooooo long, but I haven't had a computer for over a month. I'll try to keep it coming!!!!!

To Perry, who may never read this (for she is slack) : jeez you are slack!!!

Ooh and check out my new BtVS/HP fic. It's a work in progress ; )

Thanks everyone. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!

Rose-Riddle3223


	21. WARNING: I bite

Warning: Some fluff. Some fighting. Heehee, explosive couples ahoy! : )

Two weeks had elapsed after the confrontation between Rose and Draco. They didn't ever speak to each other unless it was when they were trying to piece together the prophecy. And even then, they only spoke in sharp, quick monosyllables. The other six – Harry, Aurora, Ron, Hermione, Lindsey and Ginny – had no idea what had happened that day in Defence Against the Dark Arts with the chimaera. Well, they knew about the chimaera; they _didn't_ know about the fight, or the kiss that followed.

They did notice, however, that the two were not fighting quite as frequently. They didn't actually speak to each other, and they daren't look at each other. Hermione thought it was a nice change that they weren't at each others' throats all the time. The others agreed, except for Lindsey. He was too busy kissing Ginny to notice make his opinion known. 

It was now a Sunday morning, and Harry was humming as he walked down the hall back up to the Gryffindor tower. He had a huge, goofy grin on his face and it was taking all the willpower he had not to fall down on the floor where he was, and start laughing his head off with his glee. Yep. The Boy-Who-Lived was happy.

Harry had been called to Professor McGonnagal's office earlier that morning. He was rather concerned at first, but he was delighted to find out that she wanted to inform him of his new position: Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.

He was literally bouncing as he walked up to the Fat Lady. He flashed the portrait a dazzling grin as she prompted him for the password.

"Password, dearie?" she said, as always.

Harry grinned even harder. " 'Poppyseeds.' Why, you just look lovely this morning. Did you change your hair? Looks great. Have a good day!" he gushed. The Fat Lady, unused to such flattery, blushed a pink that matched her dress and fanned herself with her hand.

"Oh, you…" she trailed off with embarrassment.

Harry climbed through the portrait and fairly skipped up to his room. He met Lindsey on the way to the Boys' Dormitories. As usual, he was making out with Ginny.

Harry winced. "Jeez, guys! Do you have to do that here? I mean, Gin, c'mon. This is the Boys' Dormitory!"

Ginny pulled away and stared at him with amusement. "Well, 

excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, Mr. 'I Spent Most Of My Second Year In A Girl's Bathroom.' "

Lindsey raised an eyebrow, and went on. "I didn't know that. Sounds kinky. And besides, I can't get into the Girls' Dormitory to make out. Believe me. I've tried." He said earnestly, waggling his eyebrows at Harry. "On my fourteenth attempt, I was caught by McGonnagal." He shuddered. "Wasn't pretty, let me tell you."

Harry gaped, laughing. "Oh yeah, that reminds me," he said in-between laughs. "McGonnagal just made me Quidditch Captain."

Ginny pulled away from her devilishly gorgeous boyfriend. _(A/N: guess who my fave character is???)_ "Oh, Harry, that's great news! Congratulations!" she enthused, grabbing his hand and jumping up and down excitedly. Lindsey grinned, and leapt down the rest of the stairs, sticking his head into the common room.

"Oi! People! Harry's been made Quidditch Captain!" he roared to the rest of the house. All the inhabitants all jumped up and began clapping. 

Angelina, Katie and Alicia all came over. 

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

"I can't believe it! Well done!"

"Good job! You're the one who deserved it most!" they all praised.

Now, Harry was starting to get embarrassed. He grinned despite this. Ron and Hermione fought their way over through the crowd. 

"Oh, Harry! Congratulations!" Hermione cried, giving him a huge hug.

Ron laughed. "Knew you had it in you, mate." He gave him a hearty clap on the back. 

Lindsey grinned again. "I thought I heard mum saying something about that the other day to McGonnagal. She was really excited, but I didn't know she was talking about you."

Harry looked thoughtful. "Hey, Lindsey – how come we have Professor Lupin for Defence? I thought you said your mum was taking the job."

Lindsey nodded. "Yeah, but she's taking a more advanced class that starts later this month. I thought you knew. It's working in conjunction with DA, apparently," he said. 

Harry smiled. "Cool." He let his mind wander over all the people in his DA class from last year.

This jogged Harry's memory. "Oh – people?" he asked, calling for quiet. "First things first: we have Quidditch try-outs on Tuesday! We need two new Beaters and a Keeper! All second-years and above can try-out."

Still smiling, he made his way up to the sixth-years dorm. He rushed over to his bed and jumped on it, bouncing up and down. Lindsey and Ron followed. 

"I think I might try out," Black Jr. said happily to Harry. "You'd let me on the team, right?" he asked with a wink. Harry rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, sure whatever."

Lindsey watched him bouncing for awhile. "Are you sure that this Quidditch thing is all that's making you happy? You just seem really hyper," he reflected. 

Harry stopped, and grinned. He flopped down onto the bed and lay on his stomach. "Guess who I just asked out? And guess who just said yes?" he asked in a sing-song voice.

Ron snorted. "McGonnagal."

Harry stopped grinning. He pulled a face. "Ew," he said.

Lindsey laughed and clapped him on the back. "Ron's right. It's pretty damn obvious," he said. 

Harry looked quizzical. "Huh?"

Lindsey smiled. "As if we don't know already."

Ron nodded. "I'll eat a Canary Cream in the Great Hall if it isn't Aurora."

Harry laughed. "Yes! How did you know?" he inquired.

Lindsey snickered. "Everyone knows you like her. Ever since you accidently/on purpose saved her from that bowl of porridge. It was getting pathetic, really," he added. 

Harry scowled. "Thanks," he said wryly, then shrugged. "I'm gonna tell Rose about the Quidditch." Ron and Lindsey nodded and walked out. 

__

Hey, Rose, he called. There was no response.

Harry shrugged. She must be busy. _OH, SIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ He shouted in his mind to his twin. He was rewarded with a shriek.

__

Harry! Don't yell so loudly! You've given me a headache, she grumbled.

Harry laughed. _You weren't paying attention the first time. Hey, guess what?_

You're mad and I'm not.

No! McGonnagal just made me Quidditch Captain! He exclaimed. 

__

That's great! Just like Dad, Rose said. Then, she giggled. _Hey, you know what? We should have a party tonight to celebrate! When everyone comes tonight, we can surprise them with a party!_

Harry smiled. What a great idea! _Sure! We'll be there. I won't tell anyone._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

It was about eight o'clock and Draco was standing in the Meeting Room. He was there early for the meeting, and he was there for good reason. 

"We need to talk," he said firmly. Rose shrugged and rolled her eyes moodily.

"What about?" she answered coolly.

"About what happened that night with the chimaera and…and what happened afterwards," he said, wincing. He didn't like to think about that kiss much.

Rose stood straighter and looked up at him. "Didn't happen," she said assertively.

He sighed with relief. "Good. Just checking. So you won't say anything?"

"About what?"

"About what happened! You know what I'm talking about."

Rose glared. "It didn't happen, remember?"

"Then what are you arguing about?" he said exasperatedly.

"Me? You're the one who's arguing."

"Look, I'll say nothing and you'll say nothing. Agreed?"

"Never happened."

"Then we agree then."

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

And once again, they fell upon each other and started kissing passionately. 

They were at it for quite a while, before Rose heard some voices coming from behind them. The sounds were muffled, but Rose thought she recognised two voices. She did a quick mind scan, and realised who it was.

Rose gave a squeak and pulled away slightly, just enough to murmur against Draco's soft lips, "Lu…nag...y!" 

Draco's brow furrowed quizzically. "Huh?" he managed to mumble, his mouth still doing another, more enjoyable job.

Her eyes grew wide as saucers and she tried to push him away. He was much stronger and bigger than her though, and only pulled her closer. Draco grumbled as she tried to move away. 

She groaned in frustration. There were two people outside the door, and they were about to walk in on them making out! She began to panic. Thinking frantically, she did the only thing she could think of. 

Rose bit down on the platinum's tongue. Hard. He howled in pain and withdrew quickly, a hand to his mouth. He let out a stream of curses that she couldn't really make sense of, as he was having difficulties speaking. 

"Crap! That hurt," he raged, glaring. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Rose was freaking out. She was staring at something behind him. Draco frowned and whipped around. He felt his stomach drop to the ground when he saw Lindsey and Ginny standing in the doorway.

His eyes popped. Then, he blinked. "Huh." The Gryffindor two were doing what they were now famous around the entire school for: making out. Needless to say, they were a bit too preoccupied with each other to notice anything that was going on around them. They were totally necking in the doorway, oblivious to everything.

Rose wiped her mouth quickly, hoping her lips weren't too bruised. "Good thing this isn't a spectator sport," she muttered, growing pink. Draco smirked.

"Could be," he said. "Now that you've been hit, I think every single person in the school has now seen those two necking. When you think about it…" he trailed off suggestively.

Rose pulled a face. "Oh. I stand corrected," she amended.

As she said that, Ron and Hermione entered, closely followed by Harry and Aurora. 

There was a smack and a grunt as Aurora floated in, unaware of Ginny and Lindsey in the doorway. The others had skirted around the two, but Aurora hadn't seen them and had walked directly into them. The blonde girl blushed prettily.

"Oh, sorry! I drifted off," she apologised. The two just smiled. 

"It's okay," Ginny grinned. 

Rose started jumping. "Guess what?" she chirped. "Since Harry got Quidditch Captain today, I though we could have a party!"

While the Gryffindors grinned at each other, Aurora and Draco exchanged a glance. Hermione noticed. "What is it?" she asked warily.

Draco gave a smirk. He looked at Harry. "Guess who the new Slytherin Captain is," he said smugly. 

Aurora smiled at Harry. "Double the party!" she exclaimed.

Rose walked off into her bedroom. "Come on in. I convinced Dumbledore to give me lots of sugar," she giggled. 

The eight students walked into the bedroom. It was as mystical as usual, with the effective lighting given by the faeries. Except it was very different.

Her room had been magically altered, and it was now an enormous circle. There were funky sofas all around, in bright colours such as hot pink and purple and orange. Everywhere Harry looked, he could see dessert dished filled with chocolates in shiny foil paper. Quality muggle chocolate, such as Lindt and Baci. Hermione gasped.

"Oh my gosh! I haven't had muggle chocolate for so long…" she praised. "Yum!"

Draco made a derisive noise and walked in past her. Aurora smacked him gently on the arm.

Hermione looked thoughtful. "You know that lesson we had in DADA," she began slowly, "about Tarot?"

Draco shrugged. "Misia gone crazy, chimaera after me. I wasn't there for most of the lesson," he said simply, and helped himself to some chocolate. Both Rose and Aurora looked embarrassed.

Ginny shrugged. "Year below," she said.

Hermione went on. "Well, I thought it could help us with the prophecy. We just need to find someone who can use Tarot cards."

They all looked around at each other. Aurora slowly raised her hand. "I know," she said softly. "My people used Tarot a lot."

Draco nodded. "You want to grab your deck?" he asked. 

Aurora nodded. "It's in my dormitory. I'll be back."

Draco stood quickly. "It's okay, Misia, I'll come with you," he said.

"I'm sure I can make it to my own room and back okay," she laughed. "Don't be so protective."

He was going to protest, but he knew she was right. "Okay, fine. Just leave me alone in a room full of Gryffindors," he joked. 

Aurora got up and drifted out the door, amid the sounds of Rose and Draco bickering. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Water Nymph walked down the hallways and after a while, reached the Slytherin Common Room. She walked inside and was greeted at the door by Pansy Parkinson.

"Oh, hello Aurora," the pit-bull/girl cooed in a sickly sweet voice. "And how are we feeling today? Psychotic?" 

Aurora turned pale. She swallowed, and took a step backwards towards the wall. "P-Pansy, I…what?"

Pansy advanced. "Oh, I know the truth. I've been told."

Aurora gasped, and sank to her knees, leaning up against a wall. "You…what? How?" she stuttered, her electric blue eyes wide and darting around the room. 

Pansy kneeled down in front of the blonde. "Shh, shh. It's okay," she said in a condescending tone. "I know you're sick. You're disturbed. You need help," she said, and grabbed her hand.

Aurora began to gasp, her eyes rolling. "I…help?"

"Yes. Help. You need to go home, back where your family can take care of you."

Pansy stood and took a step back. "It's time to go home." She repeated firmly.

With a thud, two shadows came bearing down on Aurora. She squinted upwards and recognised the figures. "Crabbe? Goyle?" she whispered. 

The two thugs physically lifted her. Each grabbed an arm and hauled her upwards. "No! I…what family?" Aurora shrieked, her rational mind disappearing fast. "My mother and father are dead! They were my guardians. They're all dead!"

Pansy smiled, and put her hand on Aurora's face. "Not your uncle Lucius," she said with malice. 

Aurora felt like an icy claw had been plunged into her heart. "No…" she trailed off, and began screaming. She began to kick and punch at Crabbe and Goyle, but they held her too tight. They were much stronger than her. 

They carried her, screaming and fighting, over to the fire in the Common Room. Passing a glass of water on the way, she put out her hand and closed her eyes. "_Consurgo Aqua!_" 

With a reverberation, there was an explosion. The water in the glass rose up and seemed to multiply in volume like a water bomb. And indeed it was. 

Aurora looked down at the floor and saw the three Slytherins lying on the ground, stunned. She shrieked.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into! You were ready to give me to Voldemort? I am capable of creating a hydrogen bomb with my mere thoughts!"

She started to scream even more loudly then fell silent. She looked around and saw that she had transformed into her Nymph self, complete with the tail and blue skin.

She was also floating five metres in the air. Her mind was swimming. She felt incredibly weak. Aurora started to descend, to the sound of clapping. 

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

In the fireplace was Lucius Malfoy. 

A/N

I'm sooo sorry this has taken so long!!! I've been really sick lately. 

Please review

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	22. A round of applause

A/N hides from menacing crowd sorry it took so long! My computer has died!! Gawd, it had to happen with a cliffy, didn't it?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Aurora stopped. She looked down. Time seemed to stand still as she slowly descended to the hard, stone floor of the Slytherin common room amid the claps, coming to a halt a foot above the three prone bodies on the floor. She blinked and looked at Lucius hard.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

"Very impressive. You _will_ be an asset, won't you?," the white-blonde man said lightly.

The expressive electric blue eyes that Aurora normally had were now a bottomless black, only with flashes of sapphire. There were no whites, nor pupils showing. Her hair had turned black, and she looked at her uncle without any expression whatsoever, although the gleam in her eyes was merciless. This was the man who had tortured her for weeks. Who was making her cousin's life a living hell. Who had murdered her parents.

The man cringed as he looked at her. "Now, now. Don't get yourself into a state, child," he said in a smooth voice, as if it were sincere. Aurora knew better than that.

He walked forward and held out a handkerchief to her; lowering it and stuffing it back into his silver cloak when she did not accept it. "Your parents did actually leave you in my care. I am your guardian, and it is time to come home." He spoke firmly, his piercing grey eyes never leaving her face. He awaited her reaction.

She blinked her onyx eyes. "Why?" she asked flatly, hovering in her spot. Her ebony hair was blowing about wildly, as if moved by an unseen wind.

Lucius paused. He grit his teeth, but spoke calmly. "You don't belong here. You have power, girl! Just look around you. That power is going to be utilised for the Dark Lord's purposes whether you want it to or not. Do make it easier on yourself, and come with me."

Aurora blinked again. She began to rise slowly, inch by inch. "Power…" she trailed off, as if tasting the word in her mouth.

Lucius nodded, his gaze calculating. He pulled a long stick out of the depths of his cloak. The stick was made of chrome and a bit longer than his usual wand. Aurora laughed shrilly. "What magic will force me to come with you?" she questioned.

Lucius smiled sadistically. "I will not need magic," he said evenly, eyeing the stick in his hand. "And this is not my wand."

Aurora eyed the stick suspiciously. "Something wicked this way comes," she whispered in a harsh voice, her hands cradling her skull. "He sings songs and cries out with joy, naughty boy, this Pied Piper of Hamelin. In the end he takes the children away." 

Lucius sneered. He pressed an unseen button on the long, thin stick. Instantly, sparks came flying out of the top. The stick gave a sizzling sound, punctuated by zaps. 

"Did you know," he asked pleasantly, ignoring her rant. "That water conducts electricity?" he lightly touched the tip of the rod to the hand of one of the bodies on the floor. It jerked madly, and started to smoke. "One muggle invention I actually like," he said to himself casually. 

Sapphire eyes met grey and Lucius lunged forward, plunging the electric rod into her blue stomach.

The shock jarred Aurora. It was running all through her, taking control of her nervous system. The electric jolts were spreading from the tip of her tail to the ends of her hair. She screamed with all her might. In the background, mirrors smashed. The rod tip was buried deep inside her body.

The power of it took her over. Aurora couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't speak save screaming. She began to go into convulsions, her limbs went into spasms because of the pain. The water in her body conducted the shock, and made the pain even more.

With one last scream, there was another explosion of sparks. In a burst of smoke, sparks and energy, Aurora was gone.

In her place was Ice, her Animagiamo figure. The blue phoenix screeched and soared upwards towards the ceiling, until…there was just a gaping hole where the ceiling should have been. Aurora travelled through eighteen floors of Hogwarts, mercifully not going through any other dorms or offices – only a few classrooms and the Great Hall on one storey. Finally, she emerged far above the castle, where she circled the towers in a blaze of energy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Back at the party, Hermione jumped up and down excitedly. "I finished, I finished!" she bubbled over the music that was playing. Everyone looked at her oddly. 

"Finished what, Mione?" Ron asked.

She grinned furtively and pulled a piece of wrinkled parchment out of her robes. "Oh, just the prophecy," she said smugly.

Ron laughed and gave her a huge hug, lifting her off her feet. "That's my girl!" he said proudly.

Even Draco looked impressed. "Huh," he contributed.

Hermione smiled and brought it out. "This may be complicated. You guys are in for a lecture," she warned. 

"Eight will join, eight will love,

The Puzzle they shall right,

The Bird of Flame shall guide them

As they go and win the fight. 

Now, there are eight of us: Me, Ron, Gin, Lindsey, Harry, Rose, Draco and Aurora. The Puzzle is You-Know-Who, so this is telling us how to kill him. The Bird of Flame is obviously a phoenix. Fawkes, maybe? Next stanza.

Sun marked of blanc Apollo

The fire inside him burns.

The Dawn and Moon will follow, 

Two arcane loves take turns.

Well, this took me a long time, but I think the Sun person is Harry. Your star sign is Leo, Harry, and it's ruled by the sun, and is a fire sign in the zodiac. The marked part could be your scar. The Dawn and Moon is Aurora, as we established before."

Here she was interrupted by Draco's musings. "Huh. Two arcane loves? I wonder what that means." He shrugged. "No idea."

Harry gulped and coloured faintly, but he was out of Draco's sight. He stole a glance with Lindsey, who grinned and pointed at the back of Draco's head, whispering "Clueless!" 

Harry looked relieved. Everyone else seemed to know what the prophecy was talking about. He was glad that Draco didn't know about him and his cousin. There would be hell to pay when he found out.

Hermione suppressed a giggle and cleared her throat. 

"Mercury helps deliver the message,

Her role in this is true.

The last of six joins the eight

To start our lives anew.

I'm Mercury, and - "

She was cut off by Ron. "How'd you figure that out? I thought Mercury was a bloke."

The bushy-haired brunette smiled. "Yes, but it says 'her' in the next line. Anyway, the name 'Hermione' is the female form of Hermes. Hermes and Mercury are the same deity in Greek and Roman mythology. He is the messenger of the Gods. As you can see, I'm delivering the message by deciphering the Prophecy for the rest of you. The last of six who joins the eight is you, honey," she said to Ron.

He pulled a face in thought. "Oh. As in, uh, the last son out of six in my family?" 

She smiled. 

"Stealthy Superstition joins

Justice will prevail.

The love of last yet first of seven

Shall never rightly fail.

The superstition is Lindsey. The second two lines, well - "

She trailed off and gestured to one of the sofas dotted around the room.

Rose, Harry, Ron and Draco turned around to see Lindsey and Ginny making out, yet again. Four pairs of eyes rolled simultaneously.

Hermione continued. 

Round and round the muse speaks sound,

Echoes through columns non standing.

Union with St George's triumph

Will help defeat Puzzle's forthcoming."

Annabelle Rose froze, her eyes wide. She gulped visibly. Across the room, Draco had done a double-take, and was now leering against a wall to mask his apprehension.

Hermione bit her lip. "Now, columns non standing must be horizontal. And they are rows, which must mean Rose. Right? St George's triumph is the dragon, as in St George and the dragon, a medieval legend. But union is-"

She was cut off by Rose, who interrupted loudly. "That must be referring to me opening his psyche," she said hastily, her eyes wide and innocent. "Nothing more, cuz it ain't gonna happen."

"You got that right," came the sarcastic remark from the corner. Harry glared in his direction. 

Rose took a moment to marvel to herself how lucky it was that Harry was so oblivious to her and Draco, and how Draco was so oblivious to Aurora and Harry. If either one of the boys found out that his beloved sister/cousin was dating his arch nemesis, there would be hell to pay. 

Hermione looked sceptical, but shrugged. "Okay. That'll do.

Sun, Dawn and Moon: their power is greatest.

Mercury and Last: their loyalty is truest.

Superstition and first: their love will be awoken.

Muse and triumph: the Puzzle is broken.

Well, that is obvious." Hermione smiled. Then her brow furrowed and she looked back down at her parchment. "Wait, I missed a bit. It was in the paragraph about Lindsey and Ginny. Something about justice…?" She looked in the direction of the two tens, and found that once again, they were busy kissing.

"Oi! Gin!" Ron yelled, outraged. "Do you mind not doing that when I'm here?"

Ginny pulled up to stick her tongue out at her older brother, before rearranging herself on the lounge more appropriately. "I'm fifteen, loser. You're not much better. Get a clue!" she implored. 

Ron coloured. "Anyone is better than you guys. Anyway, we were talking about you two. The Prophecy, remember?"

Lindsey shrugged. "What were we talking about?" he asked, smiling disarmingly.

"Justice, concerning you," Hermione supplied. "So what's unjust in your life, Lindsey?"

Lindsey's smile faded slowly. His eyes, normally sparkling, were subdued. He folded his arms across his chest and scowled, exchanging a dark look with Harry. Harry too was looking quite threatening now.

"Sirius," Harry said, and Lindsey looked really forbidding. 

"Yeah. Dad," he said, flopping angrily onto a couch. Ginny followed.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked softly. "It's just…talking about him has never made you this angry before. What happened?"

He glowered. "Harry filled me in on what's been happening concerning Dad for the last four years. Let me say I'm not impressed."

Ron shrugged in a corner. "Sorry mate. It must be so sad to have a parent die."

Hermione gave a small gasp and hit him lightly across the arm. "Ron!" she hissed.

But Lindsey was looking confused now. "Dead?" he asked, puzzled. "He's not dead. He can't be. Tell them, Harry."

Ron looked at Harry weirdly and was about to say something, but stopped himself just in time. 

Rose looked at Harry sadly. "Harry," she said. "Do you want to-"

"NO!" Harry said loudly. "He's not dead. He's just…not here, is all."

Rose bit her lip. She took a step forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She sat down next tom Lindsey and placed Harry on her other side. "Harry. Lindsey. Listen to me. Dumbledore made me search for him for weeks afterwards. I even used the Sphere, and I couldn't find him. He's gone, and I…"

Rose suddenly fell quiet. She started rubbing her arms as if she were cold. Harry's brows furrowed.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked.

Rose took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Oh…kind of…" she said, sounding unsure. "I don't know. I feel weird."

Harry frowned. "Maybe you should lie down," he said concerned, and put a hand on her shoulder. He jerked his hand back quickly as a tiny zap passed between them. He laughed. "Static," he said. 

Rose smiled and nodded. Then she paused and took a moment to grab her crystal. She took another deep breath, and closed her eyes. Harry waited.

Rose's eyes sprang open, and she gasped. "Oh dear…" she muttered. Harry looked at her, baffled.

"Everyone – outside! QUICK!" she shouted. Ginny pulled a face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, but Rose just shook her head. 

"NOW!" she roared, and everyone obeyed. 

Without a word, all seven raced out of her bedroom and through the Meeting Room. Lindsey pushed aside the door and waited for everyone to go through before following himself.

All seven students thundered down the halls of Hogwarts. Most of the school was still asleep.

Harry paused suddenly when he thought he heard something. A booming sound like a canon going off. It was repeating again and again, coming upwards. They had reached the Great Hall when there was a massive blast heard.

They were all thrown off their feet backwards, and gazed in wonder as a whirl of blue and white and silver raced upwards through the floor and ceiling, emitting a shrill shriek all the while. 

Draco was the first to recover. "Oh crap," he said, stunned. "Ice? That was…th-that was Aurora!"

Without a word, Draco and Harry both sprung up before the others and raced outside. They all gathered on the lawns and looked upwards into the sky.

Illuminated by moonlight, Ice was circling the towers of Hogwarts in a blaze of blue energy, screeching all the while. Draco was freaking out.

"What do I do? What is she doing? Is she okay? what…?" he trailed off, running his hands through his hair in anxiety.

Within seconds, the doors to the Entrance Hall flew open and a most welcome figure approached them.

"Professor Dumbledore!" 

&*&*&

A/N hello readers!!! Guess what? I have had some major inspiration. My muse has revisited me, and I am full of new ideas!! sadly, as I write this, my internet connection has died. I will try to update this ASAP.

Meanwhile, thanks loads to everyone who reviewed, and Aleana, whose death threats have not gone unnoticed. O M G Perry read this!!! Luv ya Pez! ; )

****

Wink also thanks to everyone else. You guys are starting to review this story a lot more!! Please keep them coming. Oh and if you have time, please check out my Buffy/HP fic, Princess of Sin. It's my other baby, and it's more…deliciously evil. Quite dark, but very fun. Dedicated Buffy fans will adore…I think. Still coming.

REVIEW PLEASE : P 3


	23. Bloody Poetry

The Eight of Prophecy, chapter 23. I just realised at this late stage that I haven't put in a disclaimer for yonks…if ever. OOPZ umm yeah if this were mine I'd be married to Orlando Bloom and/or Johnny Depp long before now. ie, no, I don't own Harry. I own Aurora, Morganna, Poseidon, Lindsey, Faith Black, and all the Animagiami. Err, yaah, did I mention the plot's mine? Mine. Mine. MINE MINE MINEY-MINE…heehee, um yes. swallows crazy pills ahem. Quite. 

Dumbledore came rushing out onto the lawn with a furious expression on his face. Harry looked at him and felt chilled to the core, but at the same time comforted. He had only seen Dumbledore like this a few times, and it was scary each time. He was radiating white magic and power. The old man looked upwards. 

"Rose, go back upstairs now," he said with his eyes fixed on the ice phoenix circling overhead. 

Rose pulled a face. "But Professor, I - "

"Now!" he barked. She bit her lip, eyes wide, and complied.

Dumbledore took out his wand. "Tell me why she was left alone," he commanded, his gaze never leaving Ice. Harry looked towards Draco.

"Well…she said she could handle herself; that we were just being over-protective," her cousin said, panicked.

Dumbledore frowned. "After what happened? I had hoped you all had much more sense than that," he muttered angrily, and raised his wand. "_Amima reverso arcana!_" he called. 

Yellow beams of light came bursting out of the tip of Dumbledore's wand. He aimed at Ice, and in an instant, she was transformed back into Aurora. Not normal Aurora, though. She was in her "nymph" form, complete with tail and shells. Except…she wasn't just that either. Her hair was a shocking shade of ebony, and her eyes were blacker than Hagrid's…much larger as well. A lot of the whites of her eyes had been covered in black. She was floating in the air with electricity crackling around her, just floating. 

Her ebony hair was being blown by an unseen wind, and she had an eerily passive smile. There was a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. Every now and then, her limbs would spasm horribly, and the electrical atmosphere around her would discharge with a crackle.

Harry watched in horror. He gasped and fell back onto his knees, feeling sick to his stomach. There was a raw, gaping wound in her mid-section. A hole in her torso. It was bleeding horrifically, and was blackened and rough around the outside. The flesh surrounding the wound looked burnt. Somewhere behind him, Harry heard someone be sick…then someone else. Clearly, they too had seen her.

There was silence apart from the crackling as Aurora floated in the air, being watched; her expression was vacant. Dumbledore raised his wand slowly. 

"Miss Malfoy, I think you need to come down. It's safe now," he said clearly; but his voice was laced with caution.

"Think again."

Dumbledore whipped around to where the voice came from. He was too late. In an instant, Lucius Malfoy yelled out, "_Impedimenta!_" and the wise old man was frozen. 

"Isn't this grand?" the white-blonde man said harshly. He stepped into the open and the light from the full moon illuminated his pale features – but even Lucius wasn't as pale as Aurora's deathly mask. He crept out from the shadows wielding his wand with fierce hatred written on his face. He looked rather battered, and his hair and clothes were quite wet. He was breathing quite heavily. 

"_I_ think it's quite handy, really, that I have you all in one place," he said sneeringly. As one, Harry and Draco raised their wands.

"You're not going to do it, Mr Malfoy," Harry yelled defiantly.

Draco just glared. "How could you?" he asked venomously in a deadly low voice. "How could you possibly do that to your sister's child?"

Lucius paused. He looked at the two boys again. "Potter," he drawled with contempt. "Enough said." Then his gaze flickered to Draco. 

"Well, my boy," he said quietly. "You hardly turned out the way I'd expected. If you know what's good for you, you will go inside now," he hissed. "The Dark Lord is very angry with you indeed."

Draco shook his head furiously. "Can't do that," he said gruffly. 

Lucius snarled. "Stupid boy." Then he threw back his head in a cocky manner. "You shall all face the Dark Lord's wrath later. You will not escape."

Draco stepped forward. "Two against one, father. Put down your wand _now_."

Lucius grit his teeth. It was visible from the strain on his face that he was fighting an internal battle – whether to yield or not. In the end, he let out a roar of defeat.

"Fine! I give up," he yelled. Slowly, he began to put down his wand. Slowly, slowly; his eyes on the two boys the whole time. Harry and Draco relaxed.

Once Lucius's wand was on the ground, they lowered their wands a little. 

That was all he needed.

In a move so fast they barely saw it, Lucius grabbed up his wand again and yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus!_" 

Draco, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lindsey and Ginny were frozen instantly. Lucius threw back his head again and laughed. 

"Trust! You stupid fools," he mocked. "You must tell me what it is like to see death before you. I never have," he said, raising his wand once more. 

"_Avada Keda - _"

He was cut off by a clap of thunder. He looked upwards, and was surprised to see that the clear night sky was now totally obscured by thunder clouds. They were moving in a most alarming pattern. The dark grey thunderclouds rumbled threateningly and were travelling across the sky at an accelerated pace. They were heaving and unfurling and growing darker by the minute.

And they seemed to be moving towards Aurora.

The nymph floated in the sky. Her tail and shells had disappeared; she was now in her human form again. Except, her black eyes and hair and deathly pale skin remained. She was wearing a black gothic dress, with a tight laced bodice and a flaring velvet skirt. The clouds were drawn towards her, and she was crackling with sparks ominously.

" 'Oh, come, thou dear infant, Oh come thou with me,

Full many a game I will play there with thee,

On my strand, lovely flowers their blossoms unfold,

My mother will grace thee with garments of gold.' "

There was a pause marked only by the crackling of lightning and thunder. Lucius stared at Aurora incredulously, appalled.

"What is _wrong_ with you, child? If it weren't for you being so bloody important to the Dark Lord, I would have killed you long ago for the psychotic nonsense you insist on babbling all the time. You interrupted my murders, now," he spat, looking angrily at the prone bodies on the ground that he had almost killed if it weren't for the clap of thunder that distracted him.

Her blank eyes caught his. "Childhood trauma," she whispered, grinning mirthlessly. Another boom of thunder, and lightning cracked across the sky. Rain began to fall heavily from the forbidding clouds. Then, Aurora shrieked as her body gave another spasm, and jerked violently. She began to laugh, cackling like a stereotypical witch should. Her dress finished the image: she looked very much the medieval sorceress.

"Twisted Infinity takes away six; six before the Day of the Dead. 

The remainder be arisen together; the Magician is filled with heart wrenching dread.

The wheels are turning, ever turning; Fate spins the Fool like a top.

Where he comes to, no one knows, we only pray this pain might sto-"

Aurora's ramblings ceased abruptly with a gurgle. She looked down at the new hole in her torso. In the few seconds that she had been talking, Lucius Malfoy had turned on his cattle prod again, and thrown the electric rod like a javelin up into the sky - into her body. This time, it had pierced her heart. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Harry watched helplessly on the ground, soaked by the rain. He lay on the saturated grass, the muddy soil spattering up at him. He couldn't stand, talk, anything; he couldn't even blink. He stared up at the sky mortified as the sparking rod soared through the sky, as if in slow motion. He heard every word Aurora was saying, and didn't understand any of it. He yearned to yell out, 'No! Aurora, watch out! Move!' but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. 

He saw the rod bury itself in Aurora's heart and he felt his own heart was going to break. She was so sweet, so kind; how could she meet a fate like this?

Harry's memory flashed back to when he had first met her. He had thought she was so…vulnerable, it was just endearing. Looking up at her now, in all her black power, he marvelled how he could ever have made the assumption that she was…weak. That she was fragile.

He felt his heart break for her. She _was_ fragile, but powerful as well. It was her overwhelming power that made her so fragile. Her strength that made her weak.

Aurora was a contradiction within herself. She was a contrary girl by many standards. Insane (at times). Half-human. Revered by some; capitalised on by others. But that hardly mattered now, Harry reflected. Nothing really mattered now. He had loved Aurora, as a friend and as…well, maybe something more. She mattered…_had_ mattered. Nothing else really seemed to be important when the girl whom Harry loved was high up in the sky with an electric rod piercing her heart. 

He slowly began to feel…detached. What was the point of him going on? His mind swam in helplessness, but it wasn't defeat. It was a- a- 

It was a revelation. An…an epiphany? Yes, an epiphany: enlightenment. Aurora was gone, and there was nothing that he could do about it. He felt indignation. Why?

Why was she taken away from him so…so cruelly? Her bloodied end should have been graceful, painless: should have been better. Anything was better than being impaled by a metal pole. Her end should not have been so young, either. Harry's indignation turned to hot anger. Furious fire built deep in his chest.

No. It wasn't right. It shouldn't have been so. Aurora was sweet and young and beautiful, and she was good. Good. Her heart was good, and she was loved. Harry seethed inwardly. The flames burned inside of him. No. This wasn't right.

__

It was wrong.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

This was it. 

The End. 

Aurora choked, and jerked violently. Her body's spasms were far, far worse than before. Well, they had a right to be: the rod was still in her heart. She closed her eyes with effort and screamed as she wrenched the sparking rod out of her torso. The blood pouring out was absorbed by the black gothic dress she was wearing, but not all. There were dark red droplets falling down from the sky to the grounds, and splattering over some of the towers and roofs. It mingled with the rain falling from the clouds.

"If I go," she roared over the storm that her own power had created, "Then I'm damn well taking you with me!" she reached out her hand. Her ebony eyes expanded, and there were soon no whites showing at all. The electricity around her intensified.

"Poseidon, Neptune, hear this cry.

You who let your daughter die. 

Anubis, Osiris, Lords of Death true,

Necromancy I ask from you.

Now: Isis, Hecate, Queens of all,

To you I put my baleful call.

Weave your arcane spells at last,

My legacy: vengeance curse is cast."

Then, she started to speak in a tongue that none, not even Dumbledore lying prone on the ground with the others, could recognise. He knew, however, that the spells Aurora was using were not…well, not exactly on the curriculum at Hogwarts. The Goddess that Aurora had addressed mainly, Isis, was not one to be trifled with. She was the Supreme Mother in Ancient Egypt, and very powerful. The arcane magicks of Ancient Egypt were…well, mystical. They were mostly forgotten. And Hecate? Dumbledore shuddered. The three-faced goddess of destruction and death was definitely of the Dark. Dumbledore wondered what language Aurora was chanting in. Three of her deities were Egyptian. Was it ancient Egyptian? Babylonian? Romany, Phoenician, or Futhorc perhaps? He brought himself out of his reverie to watch what was happening. 

With a howl, Lucius Malfoy was thrown up into the air. Like being sucked up by a straw, Lucius was pulled into the forbidding depths of the placid lake. It took him down, down, down. There wasn't even a ripple as he entered the water. Far beneath the surface, there was a burst of blue light. "Now see what it's like," Aurora rasped, drained, "In another dimension." 

She closed her eyes with the pain and grit her teeth. She let out a long, shrill wail as she fell to the ground. Slowly, at first.

But as she fell, she began to gain speed. Momentum and gravity, two supreme masters of nature, were exercising their power as they pulled their dying daughter towards the ground.

Her body was plummeting to the ground. From a distance, Draco felt his heart stop. He closed his eyes and waited in horror for the sickening thud as she fell to the earth. There was no Dumbledore to save her now, and everyone else who could have helped was either dead or frozen.

The sickening thud never came. Instead, there was a deep, male grunt, a moan and another wail.

Draco opened his eyes disbelievingly. Instead of lying dead on the ground, Aurora was being cradled in the arms of none other than Harry Potter. 

Who was being beaten up by none other than the girl he had just rescued from a painful impact on the ground. He pulled a face as she scratched him again. "Let go!" she said piteously. Harry noted with relief that her hair had gone back to being blonde with blue bits, her eyes were almost back to their beautiful blue colour again. Her complexion, though, was just as dangerously pale. Harry gulped, and realised that it wasn't the magic. She was fatally wounded. It was a wonder she was still moving. 

" 'My father, my father, and dost thou not hear

The words that the Erl-King now breathes in mine ear?'

'Be calm, dearest child, 'tis thy fancy deceives;

'Tis the sad wind that sighs through the withering leaves.'"

Harry grunted as she lashed out at him again. She was pretty fight-y, for a girl who was quickly dying. He put her down gently, ignoring the blows raining down on him. He found his wand lying a few feet away on the muddy grass and quickly used it to de-freeze everyone lying on the ground. Everyone got up slowly, and came nearer.

Meanwhile, Aurora was still talking to herself quite vividly, raving and hitting out and waving her arms expressively.

"Why," Draco said, his voice strained, "Does everything she says in this state always have to bloody rhyme? Bleedin' poetry."

Hermione, from the background, bit her lip. "He's in shock," she whispered to Ron.

"Potter," Draco said. "I…how?" he was staring at Harry with alarm. The dark-haired boy was standing back, and – 

Yes. It was official: Harry Potter was glowing. He was illuminated in exactly the same way that Aurora had been before, except not blue. Harry was swathed in red, yellow and orange light. He looked down at himself with alarm, and shrugged helplessly.

"Don't look at me! I don't know," he said quickly. "I just…got up."

Dumbledore furrowed his brows. "You must be the other one. Good." After that baffling statement, he knelt down next to Aurora. She was still raving, although her eyes were beginning to cloud over a bit. She was growing tired, and it was obvious that she didn't have a lot of time left.

Harry and Draco both gathered around her. Harry buried his face in his hand in a clear attempt not to let his grief show. Draco's breaths were ragged and uneven. He put out a hand and stroked her hair softly. He jerked back when he got a static shock from her. 

Dumbledore tutted. "She needs to get to the hospital wing," he said with authority. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrieked and lurched away from him. Draco tried to pacify her, but she wouldn't be touched by anyone.

She opened her eyes dimly, and frowned while pulling away, muttering. Harry only caught a few words like 'sovereign' and 'where I came from'. 

A few feet away, Lindsey was suddenly aware of many people behind him. He felt a prickling at the back of his neck and turned around. He made a strange guttural sound as he found himself face to face with a Merman bearing a long, sharp spear. A tribe of Mermen, in fact.

Lindsey tapped Professor Dumbledore on the shoulder, but the old man shrugged him off. "Not now, Mr Black," he said quietly.

Lindsey raised an eyebrow. "Tell that to the spear-wielding seaweed-worshippers behind you."

Dumbledore got up quickly. He turned to the lead Merman and started talking very fast Mermish. Harry looked up to see Dumbledore making animated gestures with his hands, but the Merman was beginning to look angry. 

Dumbledore turned away, looking tired and angry. "They want to take Miss Malfoy away." 

He was startled by a voice. "Let them." He looked down.

Harry spoke again, fuelled by the fire inside him. "It's the only way for her: the waters. It's what she'd want."

Harry nodded at the Merman. In a flash, six Merman came forward and picked her up gently. They raised her high above their heads and began to carry her off into the waters. 

"_NO!" _Draco yelled desperately, jumping up. He was held back by Harry. The platinum youth was fighting tooth and claw to get to his cousin, but by the time he broke free it was too late. She was fully submerged under the water. Gone.

__

Draco, came a voice in his head. He gave a start when he realised it was Rose. _Have faith. I've been scrying in my crystal, and I know what's happening. Don't forget what Aurora is. But if you want her back, it's all up to Harry._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N HEY THERE wow you people are certainly reviewing a lot more now. Yayayayay for me!! 

So, the cliffy is now resolved.sobbing poor Aurora! Yikes, her end was a bit gory, wasn't it? I mean, one hole is abd enough, but the poor girl had TWO holes in her troso! I mean, ouch. Awww, and Harry didn't even get to tell her how he felt… But what is Rose talking about????? And what is WITH the poetry? Well, Aleana asked about it, so now I'm further inspired to rhyme. Also, what is up with Harry? I mean, glow-y? And Dumbledore's comment, he was the other one?? HUH??

If you wanna find out, review and I'll write the next chappie extra fast. Heehee I love ancient Egypt. It's ultra hip. **Disclaimer** there is another verse here from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Erl King, written with quotation marks. 

Perry, what you said is very true indeed. Curses. Everyone else, pleeeeeease ReViEw!! And if anyone can dig up any extra info on Hecate, I would be a very happy chappy. : ) 


	24. Triple Helix

I dedicate this to Gianna. We all miss you. Our prayers are with your family.

Harry sat quietly up in the old Meeting Room. Dumbledore was talking with Rose very quickly, and making vivid gestures with his hands. Rose looked pale and shaken, but nodded and grabbed her crystal. She rushed over to the table, crawled up onto it and sat in the middle, cross-legged. Harry watched dimly. What was everyone up to? Frankly, he didn't care. She was gone, deep down at the bottom of the lake.

Harry jerked when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up to see Dumbledore gazing down at him, looking very stressed. Harry met his gaze, his eyes red-rimmed. He had lost his glasses a while ago, and couldn't see too well. 

Dumbledore sighed deeply and sat down on a chair next to him. He touched Harry's shoulder in a comforting gesture. He spoke quietly, but clearly. "Harry," he said. "I am going to call together the Order. They all need to know about this. Are you going to be alright?"

Harry felt a lump in his throat, but pushed the emotion away. He stood abruptly, grunted and stalked into a corner where he stood darkly, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Whatever. Fine," he said dully. Rose watched sadly from her position on the table, but then closed her eyes and started to speak telepathically to the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Ron and Lindsey were trying to console Ginny, who was in tears. Draco was nowhere to be seen.

Hermione came across the room and leant against the wall next to Harry. "It's okay," she said in a small voice, looking lost. "It's all over now…" she stopped and bit her lip to stop the tears from flowing. "I know she…she meant a lot to you." 

Out of nowhere, Harry let out a roar, and swore very loudly. He threw his arms around a surprised Hermione, giving her a huge hug. He buried his head on her shoulder. "Why her?" he was mumbling to himself. At this, Hermione broke down completely, crying with him.

They were interrupted by a gush of wind as the fireplace surged. The Floo gates opened, and the Order of the Phoenix began to appear. The first person to emerge from the fireplace was Professor Faith Black, who was followed by Tonks. McGonnagal and Snape were very fast to come, but chose to use the door instead. Surprisingly, Professor Trelawney appeared as well, looking frazzled. Remus Lupin appeared from the fireplace looking very tired – Ron dimly recalled that it was almost full moon. Mundungus Fletcher, Alastor Moody, and a few people that Ron didn't recognise. Molly and Arthur Weasley came, and the red-haired woman rushed immediately to her children, asking them what happened.

Very soon, the room was full. Dumbledore asked everyone to take his or her seat. A middle-aged woman came up to Dumbledore and whispered a greeting in his ear. He smiled grimly and gave her a peck on the cheek. A man followed, and looked concerned. Dumbledore murmured something back briefly, and his eyes flickered towards Harry, who was still in Hermione's embrace. 

Harry didn't care what was happening, or who was arriving. He couldn't give a damn. Dimly, he felt Rose's presence near him. Hermione pulled away, whispering some words of comfort that didn't register to Harry, and went to Ron. Harry took a deep, ragged breath, running his hands through his hair in fury and despair. Rose took his hand and squeezed grimly. She frowned at him.

"Harry," she began gently. "Do you actually know what happened?" 

The dark-haired teen growled under his breath and looked at the floor angrily, but said nothing.

"What happened to Aurora? What happened to you?" Rose pressed. She didn't want to say this; she could see he was upset enough right now – but she needed to know.

Harry shrugged moodily and took another steadying breath. "No." he said darkly. 

"Well, I - "

"Just shut up, Rose! Stop! She's dead, okay? That's what happened. She's dead, she's gone now. Just leave me alone." He hollered, swore again and walked out of the room, kicking the door savagely as he went past. 

Rose called out after him, but he didn't come back. She bit her lip, cradling her face in one hand. She moaned softly, and turned. She froze when she saw that the whole room full of people had fallen silent and was watching her. They must have been watching Harry's display. She felt her cheeks burn, and hurried outside to talk to her twin.

She ran out the door and into her bedroom. She looked around for a while, but Harry wasn't there. She looked in the Sphere too, but he wasn't there either. Starting to feel sick with apprehension, she went back into the Meeting Room. Professor Dumbledore caught her as she was passing, and looked down at her worriedly. "Where is Harry?" he asked gently.

Rose shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, Grandpa," she said quietly. "I really don't know."

He frowned deeply. "Can you feel for him? Sense where he went?"

Rose swallowed. She closed her eyes and spaced out. In an instant, Rose was transported from the physical world to the extended reality of telepathy. She was inside her own mind. Casting around, she went to the place in her mind where Harry always was. She reached out for him with her subconscious, grabbed at the thread of him that remained inside her. 

All she could see – well, not physically see. She was not using her eyes, but her Inner Eye. All around her were white mists, flowing and ebbing like looking into a crystal ball. Images flickered through the mists, some clearer than others. She floated over to the place where Harry always was, and reached out for his essence.

There was nothing. She tried again, feeling odd. Harry was permanent in her, ever since they were born. They were twins, after all. Harry had _always_ been in his place in her mind, except for those brief times last year. After the dreams with Voldemort, he had to become harder to reach subconsciously to everyone, so that the Dark Lord would not enter his psyche and dreams. To make himself inaccessible, he had…

Rose stopped searching and withdrew back into her conscious self, the physical world. 

Oh _shit._

He was practising Occlumency.

Rose sat angrily on the floor. Everyone was watching her. She let out a cry of frustration, and looked up at Dumbledore. "I can't reach him," she said bitterly.

Dumbledore frowned deeply out of concern. Snape stepped forward. "And why is that, Rose?" Dumbledore asked.

"I believe, Headmaster," Snape said silkily, floating forward, "That Mister Potter is practicing Occlumency."

Dumbledore sighed. "He is purposefully avoiding you, Rose." The girl looked downwards, hurt that her twin would shut her out when he probably needed her most.

"Amazing," Snape went on smoothly, his face unreadable. "All last year he wouldn't cooperate, and when he finally uses Occlumency successfully, he pulls a stunt like this."

Rose pulled a face, but ignored the jab. She walked over to Professor Trelawney. "Can you help me find him, Professor?" she implored. From across the room, Hermione looked up, shocked. Trelawney was about as useful as a vacuum cleaner in space, she thought mirthlessly. And her head has a vacuum, too.

Trelawney, however, gave a totally unexpected response. She took her blue bejewelled spectacles off and for the first time, Hermione saw her eyes. They were not round, shiny discs – they didn't make her look like a bug as they usually did. Instead, her eyes were darker than expected, and of normal size, with creases round the edges that Hermione could not fathom. Secrets were in her eyes, like Trelawney knew things, could see things that the rest did not. Great things, not meant to be trifled with.

"I can try," she said in a clear voice. From behind her, Faith Wilshire appeared with her wand. She cast a quick spell over Trelawney, who was suddenly glowing with yellow light. 

"No way!" Ron cried loudly. "_She's_ under a glamour spell as well?"

The woman smiled. She was totally different. Instead of Sybill Trelawney, the woman that gazed at him was youthful, in her twenties. She had medium length brown hair worn wavy and out. Her robes were old-fashioned, and her face was young and clear of the wrinkles and impurities that Trelawney had. 

"Yes, Mr Weasley. I am." Her voice was strong, but feminine. She had a hint of a Slavic accent. "Actually, I am not Sybill Trelawney. Or at least, not really."

There was silence. Hermione stepped forward. "Excuse me?" she asked, intrigued. 

The woman smiled her warm, self-assured smile again. "Trelawney is an assumed identity. I change identities every now and then. This was my identity when I first joined the Order."

Hermione was about to ask who, but Ron jumped in. "Hey, I've seen you before! You're - you're Cassandra Vablatsky! Except…younger."

She smiled. "Yes. I am also known as Vivian, or Nimue. My brother and I were Triple Helix twins, and we were both born with gifts to see the Future."

Hermione pulled a face. This woman was just as delusional as Trelawney was...is…whatever. "There's no such thing as a Triple Helix."

Ron looked confused. "What does hell lick?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "DNA. Genetics. Humans have a double helix. There's no such thing as a triple." Honestly, some witches and wizards have _no idea_ about real sciences. 

Dumbledore stepped forward. "Magic is not just energy. It's deeper than that. It's something at the very heart of who you are. Every witch or wizard has a certain gene in them which gives them power. Sometimes, when two witches or wizards are born at the same time in the case of twins, the gene multiplies like an amoeba until a Triple Helix is formed in both. That is the most scientific application of magic. The rest of it is mystical, and the source is unknown. 

But remember, in order for magic to be metaphysical, some part of it has to be physical, first."

Hermione looked sceptical, and shrugged. "Who was – is – your brother?" she asked curiously.

The woman sighed darkly. "Foolish boy. Took predicting the future too far, and started telling it to Muggles. That's why I'm here now, and he's not. The future is a dangerous thing, and is best not to be revealed," she said sternly to the others in the room.

Ginny frowned. "Come on, who was he?"

The woman sighed again. "Foolish, silly boy," she muttered. Then, more clearly, she said, "I believe you've heard of him. His name was Nostradamus." The adults in the room seemed unfazed by this, but Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Lindsey were shell-shocked.

Amid this, Rose had been waiting patiently. "Um, Cassandra?" she asked hurriedly. "Can we focus, please?"

"Oh, yes. Of course." The woman picked up Rose's crystal and began to scry. After a few moments, she answered.

"The Powers will only tell me that Harry has gone where he feels at home. He wants to be with his family."

Ron stood forward. "Harry's always said that Hogwarts is his home. He must still be in the grounds. I'll search the dormitories," he said, and winked at Hermione. "I'll get the map," he whispered to her only as he left. 

Hermione, though, was unsure. "But he left, didn't he? And Professor - " she looked imploringly towards Dumbledore. "You said that the Dursleys would have to be his home, didn't you?"

There was a pause. A man in the corner whom Hermione didn't recognise made a derisive sound. "You think he calls _them_ his family, girl?"

Hermione flushed. "Oh, no. Of course not." Molly Weasley grabbed her husband by the arm.

"Arthur, what about the Burrow? We're more of a home than…" 

"I think I know where he is," came a voice from the corner. Lindsey stepped forward with a strange look on his face.

"He told me once that the only other person apart from Rose that he actually considered family was…well, my dad."

Faith frowned at her son. It still hurt to think about Siri. Now was not the time for Lindsey to say things like this. "Lindsey," she began sternly. "He wouldn't have done anything of the sort. You know that your father's…"

Ginny took Lindsey's hand. "But wait a moment," she said timidly. "Just because Sirius is…well, uh…anyway, Harry may have gone to his house to, you know. Be with him, somehow. Sentimental, kind of."

Dumbledore nodded, looking very tired all of a sudden. "I'll go to Grimmauld Place. You had better be ready by the time I come back," he said to Rose meaningfully.

"Yeah, sure. Just get him here." 

The man and woman whom none of the students could recognise rushed forward and seized Dumbledore's arm. "You mean he doesn't consider the Dursleys his home any more?" the woman asked worriedly.

Professor Dumbledore shrugged, sighing. "I don't know, Dorothy dear. But if that is true, it will not all be bad. We may be able to tell him everything if that is not a problem any longer."

"Everything? About him, and us?"

Dumbledore ran his fingers through his beard. "Yes," he said. "Everything."  


Hey Alanna I updated!!!!!!! Woohooo!!!!!! I can't wait to hear more about your fic too!

Hey everyone else, guess what? My exams are OVER, baby!!! My summer holiday has just started, so I plan to be writing a heck of a lot more now. Do you know, I started writing this fic almost a year ago? We've come a long way. wipes away tear. Pez is cracking up thank you sooo much to everyone who's helped me this far. Reviewing is top-notch, and even though I had like a trillion exams, I couldn't not write this cuz of how many great reviews I got!! Please, more?? puppy dog eyes 

And yes, the computer I write on does NOT have internet and yes, it DOES have leprosy instead. Joy. 

Luv ya guys!! Keep reviewing, I'll update!!!


	25. Mrs Black aka Old Bag

Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace in Grimmauld Place into the living room. He picked his way slowly around all the debris littering the floor. Broken glass, torn pieces of paper, traces of spilt potions on the carpet. Dumbledore's long white beard twitched. Molly Weasley had left the house in perfect condition after Sirius Black had met his end. The mess he was seeing now was product of Harry's mourning, coming out of the frustrated teenager in rage. Dumbledore had seen Harry do this before, in his office last term.

Harry had been here, the old wizard could tell. He had come in and it looked like he had thrown a box full of bric-a-brac across the room. There were faint marks in the door where he may have kicked it. Dumbledore sighed as he walked quickly to the kitchen. Now was definitely not the time for Harry to become an angry teen. Again. Dumbledore thought back to last year, when Sirius had first been taken. Harry had undergone a total nervous breakdown; he had vented his frustration with violence. The Headmaster's office had been a complete mess after Harry had been through with his fit of rage. Professor Dumbledore only hoped that the boy had not had another breakdown. Aurora…

Dumbledore stopped as a feeling of cold permeated him, like Peeves had dropped a freezing cold water balloon on him. A Hogwarts student hadn't died since Cedric Diggory. And before then, it was when Voldemort was at the height of his powers. Fortunately, this time, the death wouldn't be final. There was a way to bring Aurora back, and Dumbledore was going to use it.

In the end, Dumbledore mused, it all came down to power. Power, that is, and Harry Potter. The two seemed to go hand-in-hand. To bring Aurora Artemisia Malfoy back to life, however, the Order of the Phoenix needed to summon a new type of power altogether.

Everything in the world revolves around four fundamental forces of life. Together, they form both the natural world – and the supernatural. The magical, the hidden and forgotten aspects of the world. These four form a quartet. They are known as Elementals.

Sometimes, the rudimentary building blocks of life were created in purer forms. Magic that stemmed from them became focused around that particular force. Aurora, being a witch, already had a balance of the four in her system. The fact that her father was a water nymph toppled the equilibrium. Nymphs and Sprites are not Elementals; they are but underlings, manifestations of the force. This made Aurora a special girl indeed. She wasn't just a princess, she wasn't just an ex-crazy dead witch.

She was a Water Elemental.  

Rose's voice broke through his reverie. _Grandpa? _She called. _Any luck?_

Dumbledore voiced the negative, and a puff of smoke signaled Lindsey and Faith's  arrival at the house. He turned to see the mother and son. They appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, looking very apprehensive. Faith looked quite uncomfortable.

"I've never been in here, really," She said in a hollow voice. "Mrs Black didn't like me. My father was a Muggle."

There was a shrill noise suddenly from a few floors below them. Lindsey jerked his head around in alarm, wanting to know what the sound was coming from. He listened carefully to the screaming voice.

"…What? Mudbloods in MY HOUSE? Get out! Wilshire, you dirty little leech, get out of my house! OUT! Your stupid muggle father should have drowned you at birth! Sirius is no son of mine to have seen anything in you! Get your filth _OUT!"_

Faith looked angry. Her lips were pursed into a small, thin line. How _dare she insult Sirius? Faith took a deep breath. "Bloody portrait," she grumbled. Swallowing, she turned to Dumbledore and her son with a sarcastic smile. _

"Lindsey, darling, I think you've just met your grandmother. Isn't she lovely?" Turning to Dumbledore, her eyes narrowed. "I'm going downstairs. I'll shut the crazy old bag up once and for all." 

Dumbledore's beard twitched again. "Hmm. Well, we need to find Harry, and quickly. Let's split up." Dumbledore went upstairs to the upper rooms, while Faith entered the basement and Lindsey searched the ground floor, while hearing the battle between his mother and grandmother drifting up from the basement.

"…aaargh! Don't touch me, you filthy vermin!"

"Vermin? You're a disgrace to witches everywhere!"

"Me? Get out! You liar, you poisoned Sirius' mind! My Bellatrix did one thing right when-"      

The sentence trailed off. Lindsey shuddered. Bellatrix Lestrange was a Death Eater, and _she_ was the one who…Lindsey stopped this train of thought abruptly. _Harry_, he told himself. _I have to find Harry…_

Lindsey felt a bit weird, searching through his father's old house. He looked into the kitchen. A wave of nostalgia passed over him. Did little Siri eat his eggs and bacon here in the mornings, when he was a little boy? And he would have played in the garden, and pulled tricks on people in the lounge. The house was empty now, empty of life. There was still furniture, there were still a lot of people who stayed there from time to time from the Order; but still, Lindsey felt sure that the house wasn't as it used to be. It wasn't a home anymore; it was just a house.

The dark-haired teen walked down a long corridor, checking in all the rooms. He was just about to make his way down to the basement when he heard a faint creaking noise, coming from…where?

Lindsey blinked, and looked around. He had checked all the rooms. Harry wasn't in any of them. He shrugged to clear his head and took another step, but he heard the sound again. It was coming from under the rug! Lindsey knelt down on his hands and knees and inspected the rich, dark red, Persian rug. Ancient Persian, by the looks of it, and very expensive too – Lindsey had been told that his father's family was rich. He peeled back a corner, and saw that there were dark, dusty floorboards underneath.

Curiously, in several places along the floorboards, there were footsteps marked in the dust. Lindsey smiled in satisfaction. Clever, clever Harry. He pushed the rug back fully to reveal a trapdoor, which had been recently opened. Gripping the silver handle firmly, Lindsey pulled it up. He peered down into the gloom and revealed a long ladder. He climbed down. 

Eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom, Lindsey made out a faint shape. He blinked and, taking a step forward, realized that it was Harry. The boy was sitting quietly in a chair, rocking backwards and forwards. He was holding something in his hands, rubbing it and…yes, it was official. Harry was talking to it as well.

Harry looked up sharply when he heard Lindsey's footsteps approaching. "Hey," he said dully.

Lindsey gave a faint smile. "Hey. When you don't want to be found, you do a good job of hiding, you know that?" he said in a low voice.

Harry's eyes flickered. "Yeah. Sorry about this, but…I – I just want to be alone, right now."

Lindsey took a step forward, taking Harry's shoulder. "I get that, really I do. But right now, mate, we've got to go."

Harry's face took on a pained expression. "Go?" he echoed dully. "That's all anyone in my life does! All they ever have done…" He faded out miserably, looking away.

Lindsey's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone who knows me, some time or later…it's just bad. They die, or disappear, or have to go away. It all started with my parents, when they died. Then I lost Rose – I didn't even know I _had_ a sister! At the Triwizard Tournament, Cedric died. All because he was with me. Sirius - " here he stopped, looking at Lindsey piercingly. He looked away suddenly, down at the thing he was holding. Lindsey identified it as a small mirror. "Sirius was the closest person I had to a father. And he's gone, too."

Harry shut his eyes. "And now – Aurora – I…it's just not fair," he ended lamely.

Up until now, Lindsey had been quiet. Now, he shook his head violently. "Stop it, okay, Harry? Just stop it."

Harry looked up sharply. "Look, Harry, it's not you! Despite what you think, you're not the bloody Grim. People don't die just cuz you happen to know them. And, hey, you're not the only person who loses people in their life, so just get over yourself. Sirius was my father, too." Here, he slowed. Harry looked at him sadly.

Lindsey swallowed and continued. "But now…this is different. I know for a fact that you really, honestly loved – _love­ – _Aurora. And I can't believe that you're throwing away the only chance to get her back because you're so depressed that you can't move your miserab- "

"WHAT?" Harry broke in, standing abruptly, looking shocked. "What did you say?"

Lindsey paused and thought back. "That you can't move your miserable ass off th-"

"No, no – the part about getting her back?"

Lindsey brightened. "Oh, yeah! That. What, didn't you-" He stopped. "Oh, no, that's right," he said with a trace of sarcasm. "You bailed _before everyone told you. There's a way to bring Aurora back, and although this contradicts the whole 'you're not the only one' speech, it all comes down to you."_

Harry stood. He grabbed Lindsey and together they started back up the ladder. "You mean, I can bring Aurora back to life?" Harry said, his voice choked with relief.

"Absolutely," Lindsey said. "I don't know how, but Dumbledore said it's possible."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rose was sitting on her bed, cross-legged. She was chewing on her bottom lip so that by now, it was ragged. She was trying her best not to cry, and not doing a very good job. Harry was avoiding her. Why didn't he want to talk to her? He hadn't just gone away, he had purposefully blocked her from his mind. She tried to take a breath, but choked half way, and started crying freely.

Aurora was her friend. Professor Dumbledore had put the two girls together a lot recently. Rory was still pretty new to Hogwarts, and because of the rifts in her irregular psyche, the Headmaster had decided that they should work together. Sure, Rose was pretty friendly with Hermione and Ginny as well, but Rory was her best friend. Her first best friend, actually. And now, she was gone. Rose closed her eyes, praying that Harry got back soon.

She let out a cry of frustration. She didn't have any idea where Drake had gone. He had just disappeared. She stopped crying suddenly, her heart frozen. O God, Draco!

Rory was his cousin. They had grown up together. Hey, Rose thought suddenly. How had they grown up together? She thought that Aurora had always been in hiding from Lucius Malfoy, so how had they played together and got so close without Lucius finding out? She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

There was really nothing for her to do until Harry got back, and even then she wasn't too sure if she'd be needed. Maybe she should make herself useful. Find Drake, there's something to do. She got up and slipped into the Meeting Room. There were lots of people there, all talking animatedly. Some looked angry, some looked surprised. Some subdued, some confused. Some optimistic, but many just impatient for Harry to return. She sighed and reached out with her mind. As usual, she couldn't feel for Draco. If anything, he was even more obscure than usual. She groaned, rubbing her eyes again. Hermione came over, looking shaken. 

"Are you okay, Rose?" she asked. The strawberry blonde attempted a smile. 

"I'll live. You?" she said dully. At the brunette's nod, she continued. "I'm trying to find Draco right now, but I don't know where he'd be. I can't go through the whole school checking, I'd be seen. I'm sort of conspicuous," she said, gesturing at herself. 

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I guess we can use the Map," she mused. Rose raised an eyebrow, and Hermione hastened to explain. "When your dad was in school with his three friends, including Professor Lupin and Sirius Black, they made a map of the school. It shows where everyone is. Harry has it now in his dorm. You could just activate it and the map would tell you where Draco is."

Rose looked a bit cheered up. "Really? Great! I can't get it, though."

Hermione nodded encouragingly. "Sure you can, just _accio it to you. The rest of the students are fast asleep, surprisingly. I talked to Professor Snape -" here she pulled a face, " - and he said that it looks like a sleeping charm has been put on all the students. It could take a while to get rid of it."_

Rose tilted her head to the side. "So I could go and get Drake when I find out where he is anyway, since the students wouldn't see me." 

"Well, yeah. Just summon the map."

There was an awkward pause. "Um, Hermione," Rose started, embarrassed. "I actually don't have a wand."

There was another pause. "Excuse me?" Hermione said. "You _don't have a wand?_"

Rose blushed. "Um, yeah. I was never actually trained with a wand, cuz whenever I tried to pick one up, they started to do really weird stuff, like turn to jelly all of a sudden, or set things on fire…Once, in Ollivanders, I turned Professor McGonnogal's hair green." She whispered, a smile pricking at the corners of her mouth. "Wands just don't like me. All my magic is done with my mind and my crystal."

Hermione was shocked. "Oh! Um…okay…let me summon it…" She took out her own wand, summoned the map. It came flying into her hand about 30 seconds later, along with Ron.

"Hey!" he protested. "I told you I was going to get the map. There was no need to summon it. I looked anyway, and Harry wasn't anywhere on the map. He must have left school grounds." 

Hermione blinked. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I forgot." With that, she touched the tip of her wand to the parchment. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," she said. 

Rose watched in awe as small, spidery black veins started to spread from where the wand had touched the parchment, forming lines and words. Soon, they made a complete map of the castle. After scanning for some time, Hermione noticed the small dot labeled "Draco Malfoy" in the Room of Requirement. Ron gaped. 

"How'd he know? We have DA meetings there, and he's never been in before. Has he?" the question was unanswered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rose approached the Room of Requirement softly, not knowing what to expect. Drake had just disappeared, and this is where he had been hiding out. Well, she was here now. She entered and closed the door behind her. 

"Draco?" she said gently. "Are you here?" the room was bright, and expansive. Rose reminded herself that this room changed as the user saw fit. At the moment, it was…it wasn't a room. 

Rose shielded her eyes from the light. Her bare feet were starting to burn, like she was standing on something very, very hot. She began to sweat because of the heat. She waited a while until her eyes were more used to the glare, and looked around.

What the…?

Rose looked down, hopping from foot to foot, and realized that she had been standing on hot sand. It shone in the sun, and reflected the glaring light. She let out a cry and started hopping faster, looking for some shade. She looked to her left and saw a big, bright blue river. It wasn't the murky brown of the Thames in London; this river was unpolluted and fresh, like fast-moving lapis lazuli. She raced down, slipping in the sand, and stood knee-deep in the water, relief flooding through her. She swallowed a sip and looked around once more. 

She could see sand, and lots of it. On the other side of the river bank, there was a sprinkling of grass. Rose took a deep breath, savouring the now pleasant warmth. Wherever she was, it was very different from the Scottish castle she had lived her life in. The Room of Requirement was _not_ supposed to create portals, her mind said sharply. It was merely supposed to mold itself into a suitable room. Instead, it had taken Draco far, far away when he had come to it. Rose sighed. She had known from the moment she had met the arrogant wizard that Draco Malfoy was exceptional – whether that was a good thing or no, she wasn't sure.

Suddenly, Rose froze. For the first time ever, she could actually feel where Draco had gone. Wow. He was starting to open up. Who'd have thought? She explored her mind and felt that Draco was down the river, quite a way down. She looked around to where she had appeared and saw a door – that must be the portal door back to Hogwarts. Although, the door wasn't just standing on its own – it was part of a monument. 

A very large, stone monument. It was a pyramid.

Rose's breath caught in her throat. The portal had taken them to Egypt! The river she was standing in must be the River Nile. She shook her head in wonder. Of all the places in the world, he had chosen to go to Egypt. Rose was still in shock when she heard some voices from behind her. They were talking in a tongue that she didn't recognize. She turned and saw that there was a huge, ancient fishing boat, filled with seriously tanned men wearing white linen garments. Curiously, they didn't seem to hear her at all, or take any notice. It was like she wasn't there; a phantom. Almost like in a Pensieve. 

Rose released a breath she didn't know she was holding. He didn't just go to Egypt, he went to a…memory…of Ancient Egypt. She wading out of the Nile, she skipped quickly into the shade of the Great Pyramid. Sightseeing is great, she thought, but I really need to find Draco now. 

She looked into the distance and saw the imposing outline of the Sphinx. She squealed excitedly. Maybe just a _little_ sightseeing wouldn't hurt. Rose really wanted to see the Sphinx close up. It was her Animagiamo form, after all. It looked like a very long way away, but after taking five steps, she was already right in front of it. She was alarmed. Something was really off about this memory, or simulation, or whatever it was. She had just moved a very long distance in five seconds. She forgot her trepidation when she saw the Sphinx. Looking up, she saw that it was not as weathered as it was in real time. The nose was still intact, as was the crowning feature. The limestone was smooth and perfect and shone with colour. She smiled and reached out her hand to touch it. 

In an instant, she felt warmth spread throughout her whole body. She felt different, somehow. She tried to voice her confusion, but she was cut off by a deep, female voice. 

"Nefertiri, my child. You have come to visit me."

Rose squeaked in surprise. "You…you…" she stammered, looking up at the enormous Sphinx that had suddenly come to life. "You t-t-talk!"

The Sphinx smiled. "So do you."

Rose just stared. Then, realizing she was being rude, she spoke. "I, uh, I'm l-looking for a f-friend."

"The air is dry and clean. The King of Swords has come to clear his mind. The winds blow away uncertainty."

Rose blinked. Talking to the Sphinx here was making her confused, not blowing away uncertainty. "So…um…he's down the river, right?"

The great lioness with the face of a woman smiled again, nodding. "He is at the Stone of the Flower," she said cryptically. "Fly. Feel the wind upon your wings. Come again, Nefertiri, my child."

Rose blinked again, and the Sphinx had turned back to stone. She felt a change in herself, and realized that she had turned into her Animagiamo form – the smaller sphinx. She took a deep breath and rose into the air, her large wings beating against her body. She felt indescribably free, limitless.

As she flew down the river, she wondered to herself what the Sphinx had meant. He was at the Stone of the Flower.

Nefertiri thought. Flowers, flowers. Lotus was a flower. Lilies were flowers. Lily, she thought. My mother. Petunia is a flower, she thought again. My aunt. Rose is a flower, she thought. That's…me…

She stopped in midair, her wings beating against her sides. If she had human hands, she would have slapped her forehead for stupidity. A stone – of course! The Rosetta Stone! Honestly. If Hermione were here, she would have been appalled at her slowness.

After a short trip through the air, she landed at the settlement of Rosetta. Sure enough, the great Sphinx had been right. Draco was there. 

A/N

Yeah……um…….hides behind firewall from angry mob I'm sorry!!!! Okay, okay, I'll try to update more frequently….I promise. Please, please review!

I have actually written plotlines for the next few chapters, but once I started writing this chappie I discovered that it was as lame as a legless donkey, and so I changed where it was going. That's what happened.

Have I mentioned that I love Egypt? Ahh….

Anyhoo, sorry about the illegally rude delays. I feel like a proper wormtail for being so mean hahahaha -  no, that didn't sound funny to me either. Curses. 

So PLEASE review…please please???????? I will update!!!!!!!!


	26. Pondera recrare

DISCLAIMER haven't done one of these in ages….ouch. I don't own anything in the Potterverse. Duh. That belongs to the beautiful mind of JK Rowling. So please don't sue; my parents would disown me (really, they would) and then I'd be screwed. 

What I do own is Aurora, Poseidon, Morganna, Rose, Dot, Thomas, the whole Trelawney/Vablatsky/Vivien/Nimue concept, the spell in this chapter, the prophecy….yeah, I do have a weird imagination. Please, if you want to borrow some, ASK me first.  On with the story!

"So…you want to talk about it?"

Rose looked at Draco expectantly. He shrugged calmly. "What's there to say?" he said dully.

Rose sighed. This was like talking to a brick wall. Except, you got more from a wall. Before he had disappeared, Draco had been hysterical, hyperventilating slightly. Rose didn't think it was possible for him to run his hands through his hair that many times in one minute, but he had proved her wrong. 

"Um…so…what's with the portal to Egypt?" she asked bluntly. 

He looked up at her from his position on the bed, in Rose's bedroom. "She always had a thing with the Nile. We were going to visit one day. And…well, I just needed some alone time. The desert is comforting."

Rose blinked, and swallowed uncomfortably. She really hadn't ever gone through anything like this before, and was unsure of how to act. "Oh. Just the open air, huh?"

"Something like that."

"Hmm." Rose nodded absently and silence settled between them, thick and heavy. It wasn't awkward, just full of questions that neither was willing to ask. 

Rose sighed again and slumped next to Draco on her bed. She leaned her back against the wall, and he followed suit. They just sat together awhile, enjoying the peace. 

Draco was raging internally. __

_Why should I still be here? Why is she gone?_

_It's my fault. I didn't go with her when she went to get her cards in the common room. Father struck then. I should have known better._

_Isn't that the way life is? Just when we think she's safe, and normal again. Just when I thought Father had gone for a while, he comes back._

"Draco?"

_How am I supposed to go home now? What will Mother say? My own Father has been sent into a different dimension, and I'm supposed to go home once the holidays come and say, 'Missed you loads, mum! How've you been, now that your husband is never going to be seen again?'_

_Oh, yeah. That'll be a pleasant reception._

"Draco?"

_Oh, and not to mention the rest of the Death Eaters. And the whole water sprite community is going to be pissed as hell. Yeah, this is pleasant._

"Draco!"

"Huh?"

 The platinum-haired boy shook his head tiredly. "Yeah, Potter? What?"

Rose looked him in the eye. "I just wanted to tell you that it's not the end for her. There's still a chance that we can bring her back."

Her comment was met with silence. "Let it go, Potter," came a weary reply after a moment. "Just leave it alone."

"What do you mean by that?" Rose said in a high voice, feeling totally lost at sea. "Don't you want her back? I though you, of all people- "

"What's done is done, don't you see? I know what's going on."

Rose just stared at him. "Draco, I- "

"You can't think I wouldn't figure it out, would you?"

Rose's brow furrowed. She looked at him, completely confused. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You have a problem with magic."

His words had just left his lips when he regretted it. Why was he striking out at her, when he missed his cousin? But it was too late to take it back. After all, it was the truth.

Rose looked away, glaring at the floor. "Why would you say a thing like that?" she asked, incredulous. 

"You can't do anything on your own, without using your powers of mind control. Moving things, talking to people…you use it for everything."

"I do not!"

" Misia never used to use this much magic, before she met you. Then after becoming friends, she can't do anything on her own either. You're just jumping from one type of magic to another, and each time it's getting more serious. The gods and goddesses that Aurora spoke to were powerful."

Rose shook her head disbelievingly. "You think it's _my_ fault that she's a powerful witch?"

Draco snarled. "You don't see, do you?" he asked, his voice dripping venom. "I don't. But, she was into something powerful, and dangerous – and so are you. You can't dabble in that type of magic – it's clear Dark Arts. You're getting addicted. I've seen it before. Once you start with the Darker, more Occult magicks, it's almost too late to turn back."

"So you're angry with me for using magic in a school for witchcraft?"

"No!" Draco shouted, standing. He shut his eyes with frustration, running his hands through his hair yet again. He took a deep breath, counting to ten silently. Finally, he looked up. "I'm not. It's just…The only way to bring Aurora back from the dead would be Necromancy."

Rose felt her cheeks warm a bit. "Well, yes, but- "

"Take it from someone who's been brought up to be a Death Eater. Necromancy equals evil. It's serious Dark Arts, and once you do something like that, you can't go back."

Rose shook her head. "No! I'm not the one doing it! I won't be participating in the ritual at all."

Draco looked her in the eye. "So it's a ritual now?." He managed to bite out through gritted teeth, his patience long gone. "I told you that it's gone too far. Who is in the 'ritual'?"

"Um…that would be Harry."

She swallowed nervously before looking Draco in the eye. He stared back at her, drained. With a growl, he slumped back down to her level. 

"You mean," he said angrily, "That my cousin's life is in the hands of my greatest rival?"

Rose felt a prickle up her spine. "Umm…" she murmured, looking at him. "Maybe?" she squeaked.

She jumped up when his face darkened, and began to talk fast. "But there's this whole thing, you see, where I beseeched the Powers That Be for a way to bring her back, and they told me that they were both Elementals, and that the balance was out of whack for some reason and it was a Yin/Yang inconsistency and that Rory was a Water and Harry was a Fire and that we never knew about Harry because he has too much restraint and that his power is repressed inside him, but she's the opposite, and that if they can even out the balance then she will come back."

Draco just stared at her. Rose was panting, out of breath. She had taken only four gulps of air during that whole speech, and was very red. Still, she glanced at him hopefully, waiting for some sign that he was happier.

The platinum haired boy shook his head with disgust. "I don't believe you." He said in a low tone.

Rose looked at him like he was crazy. "What is your problem? The Powers That Be told me directly!" she exploded.

"My problem? It's your problem!" he shouted, standing abruptly and starting to pace. "You beseeched the Powers! I told you, you are in way, way too deep. This is just dangerous."

Rose felt hot tears building up behind her lids. There was a big knot in her stomach, which she tried her best to ignore.  "But…I just…" she paused, her hands shaking. "I just wanted my friend back." She spoke in such a small voice, Draco barely heard her. When he did, however, he softened. 

"Yeah. I want her back too," he ground out. "But…I guess we'll see after the ritual, won't we?" he said, shrugging dejectedly. "So," he said, changing the subject.   
  


"Is Potter here yet?"

Rose shrugged. "Just a minute, I'll see where he is," she muttered, closing her eyes. She snapped them back open when she felt a rush of anger coming her way from Draco. "Or, you know," she stammered, blushing furiously at being caught out. "We could just go out there and check."  Maybe Draco was right: she _was_ relying on magic a lot.

Draco took her by the elbow and marched her out. "What did I say?" he asked, angrily. "Just lay off the magic for a while, please?"

His last word was spoken in such a different voice, that Rose paused to look up at him. She almost lost herself in the swirling silver eyes. "I…okay," she surrendered, still surprised at his speech. "I'll try."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A short time later, Harry and Rose were alone in the Sphere. They were waiting for Dumbledore to come, so that they could start the ritual.

"Uh…hey, Rose, I'm sorry about earlier."

The strawberry blonde shrugged. "It's okay. I know you needed time to yourself. Don't worry about it."

Harry flushed a little. "Yeah, but I still feel bad about blocking you out like that. I know it was rude of me."

Rose gave a small smile. "Yeah, it was," she conceded, "but I'm sure I'll get over it." She gave a giggle, and sighed. "So, what are we waiting for again?"

Harry rubbed a hand over his face. "Professor Dumbledore still needs to find the, uh…"

Rose felt her chest constrict. The body. Aurora's body was still at the bottom of the lake, held by the Merpeople. "Oh, right. It shouldn't take this long, should it? It's been a long time…"

At that moment, the door opened, revealing a slightly wet Dumbledore, followed by Draco Malfoy. Behind them both was the body of Aurora, floating. She was very pale, and her lips were blue in a way that had nothing to do with magic.

Rose felt a shiver built its way up her spine.

_It's not just a body,_ she thought to herself. _It's Rory…_ beside her she felt Harry stiffen, and she felt his horror push past her in waves. She swallowed.

"Rose? I'm sure you know how to complete the ritual?" Dumbledore asked in a tone that brooked no insolence. 

"Yes." 

The man clasped his hands together. "Then I think she'll be fine."

Draco looked at the Headmaster sharply. "What do you mean? Even if the balance is restored, she'll still have all her injuries. It's just that she won't be radiating that dangerous magic anymore. Even if it works, wouldn't she die of natural causes? And after being under the water that long without being in her Sprite form, she could have brain damage, and be a vegetable- not to mention the HOLE in her heart and stomach! I still can't believe that you think Necromancy is alright!"

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles at the boy. "Mr Malfoy," he said slowly. "You need to realize that there has been a big understanding."

Draco stopped. He looked at the headmaster blankly. "Huh?" he pronounced eloquently.

"Miss Malfoy is not, in fact, dead."

Ripples of confusion ran through the room. The three teens looked at each other incredulously. "But, sir," Harry began, "I..how is that possible?"

"Before she fell, she apparently started to put herself in a kind of magical coma. We mustn't have noticed, because it took a while for her to fall. Any time during then, she started turning herself off, effectively. It may have taken around ten minutes in total for her to fall completely comatose, so it appeared she was dying."

"Turn herself…off?"

"She put herself in the coma, but we need to get her out again. She is not dead, but we cannot reach her until the balance is restored. The coma she is in is very powerful magic, and is…tricky, at the best of times. I had no idea she even knew about that type of magic. "

At those words, Draco's eyes darted towards Rose, who looked back defiantly. _She would be dead if it weren't for my magic,_ she thought to herself.  

Dumbledore sighed. "While she is in the coma, she is constantly healing. If you would care to note," he said, turning the girl around so that they could see her.

"She is no longer sustaining any injuries. In the state she is now, she recovered completely. The only problem is waking her up again, and that should be remedied after the ritual is complete. Might I suggest beginning: the rest of the school will wake up soon."

 With that, he left the room. Draco watched him go, floored, then turned back to Rose expectantly with a face that plainly said 'What the hell are you waiting for?'

Rose's lips curled up into a smile. "Okay. We need to start by having her lying down in a circle of salt…" she trailed off, concentrating as she used her telekinesis to move the still girl to the appropriate position, Draco glaring at her the whole time. 

_She could have used a wand,_ he thought angrily, but didn't let on to Rose. 

Rose was still talking. "I didn't know it would take this long to get her back from the Merpeople. I could have had her out in a minute if I just used some mental persuasion…"

Draco shook his head in disgust. "Why bother? You should have just used the Imperius curse on them, it's the same result."  he bit off harshly.

Rose went red. She considered a response, but was cut off by Harry.

"Can we focus, please? Rory, remember?"

Rose bowed her head embarrassed. "Uh…yeah, okay…um, control…well, basically, Harry, you just need to sit in the circle as well…" she waited until Harry was in the circle of salt and continued. "-and say the following spell." She passed her twin a piece of parchment, which she had written on.

Draco was starting to get agitated now, and went around the circle quickly, lighting the eight candles. "I really hope this works," he muttered.

Rose stood back to see if she had done everything right. Yes…it _looked_ like the vision the Powers That Be sent her. A large circle made of salt, marked with eight large, white candles around it. In every gap between the candles, there was a small puddle of water soaked up by the salt from a beautiful chalice. The chalice was now cupped in Aurora's still hands, and Harry was balancing his wand in both hands, palms facing upwards. Yes…everything was set.    

Rose snapped her fingers, and the glow in the Sphere went out. All the light that there was now was coming from the eight candles, glinting off the chalice.

Harry took a deep breath. He was feeling very nervous, and slightly sick. What if he didn't do the ritual right? What if he misread the parchment and said pronounced the words incorrectly? What if…

That last one came unbidden, but it was too late for Harry to not think it. What if he was too late? 

Squaring his shoulders, and taking a deep breath.

"_Pondera recrare_

_Pondera recrare._

_Ignis et Aqua,_

_Pondera recrare._"

A/N

O……M……G am I like, the most EVIL author alive or WHAT? mwahahahahahah Beware the cliff! 

I cliffed you all!!!!

Ah…aside from this, it has come to my attention that I have been begging for reviews since the very beginning and it has just struck me now that it is not very classy at all to be begging an unknown public for anything other than money. 

Anyway, thanks soooo much to all my incredibly incredible reviewers, xtra thanks to Alanna and Pez. You guys  make my day. Kudos!!

Cya later. Reviewing is totally up to you, but please consider carefully as I HAVE MY WAYS of……well, ahem, as I said. Reviewing is totally up to you.


	27. A Hobo's remedy

A/N hey people!!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! I'm making this chapter a happier one, so a bit of humour will come. Hahahahha. That sort of thing.

&*&*&

Every single flame was snuffed. The Sphere was plunged into total darkness. The four figures in the room were all stock still, none of them moving, three of them not even daring to breathe.

_Rory was watching it all happen. She, her essence, her soul, was watching the whole scene. She couldn't really place herself, though._

_Was she in the room, watching from above them? Was she among them, inside her body but not awake yet?_

_It was odd. She could see, envisage what was happening, but she couldn't tell which angle she was at, and couldn't place herself. _

_As if she herself had no reality in this. She definitely wasn't part of what was happening; that much was obvious. Or, at least, not yet. Any minute now, she would be part of it again._

_Wait, how did she know that? She couldn't _hear_ anything that was said; couldn't feel movement in the room when people moved. And despite her lack of being, she was there._

_It wasn't as much she could see it, because she couldn't feel her eyes moving or blinking. She tried to wave a hand in front of her face.  _"If you can't see your hands in a dream, then it's a nightmare," _she remembered someone telling her when she was young. What? This wasn't a nightmare. In nightmares, you were asleep, not…other._

_Okay, so no hand waving. It took her a while to realize that there weren't any legs, or eyes, or anything really. She wasn't there._

_It was almost as though she was envisioning it without being there, like one did with a book. No, she _knew_ it was happening._

I'm terrible at remembering dreams,_ she thought miserably. _I'm not going to remember any of this at all.

Just as she was planning a way of trying to recall this experience when she knew there was a faint hum around her. Looking down at her prone body, she saw her real self quivering slightly, and then there was nothing.

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Harry felt a chill roll up his spine. He looked over at Aurora. She made the slightest movement, and then suddenly, the candles lit up once more. He dropped the parchment he was holding and, tripping unceremoniously over a candle, ("Ouch! Aargh, my cloak's on fire!") he made his way over to Aurora. Draco was already there.

"She's…um…not awake." Draco spoke bluntly, confused.

Harry felt his hopes drop a bit, before looking closer at her face. "But, look! She's got a lot of colour back in her face – normal colour! She's not so blue anymore. And her wounds are completely healed," he said, examining the holes in her black dress that revealed perfectly smooth skin, with no trace of blood anywhere.

Draco looked over at Harry sharply. "I'll excuse you this time, Potter," he said, his tone suddenly sounding dangerously like Percy Weasley, "But if you EVER look at Aurora's chest like that again, I will hex your balls off."

Rose grinned. "Ouch."

Harry turned many colours; first red, then white then green as he thought it over. "Oh. Alright," he finished weakly, his voice strangely high.

Rose stifled a giggle. "I think she's just sleeping. Do you think we should take her to the Hospital wing?"

Draco nodded. "Madam Pomfrey probably needs to give her a checkup."

Rose snapped her fingers again, and the natural light in the Sphere came back. They opened the door to the Meeting Room and passed through, Harry taking Aurora along using a levitation spell.

As they came clear of the door, the four of them were accosted by Aurors and friends. 

"Is she alright?"

"Will she be okay?"

"I'll say this once more, Mundungus, put that whiskey away immediately!"

"But I tell you, Minnie, it'll make 'er better! Put the wind back in her sails."

"Fletcher, as her Head of House I tell you now that you will NOT ply Miss Malfoy with any alcohol whatsoever."

"Oh, Severus, there's no need to pull rank on him."

"Sybill, the girl has been through a lot and now – drinking? It's preposterous! Whiskey from _him_, no less. Lord knows where the old hobo has been."

"Whoops, I spilled a bit on 'er dress… wait, you called me a _hobo_?!"

"A useless old drunk, yes. And look, you've splashed my student with alcohol!"

"…least _my_ hair's been washed in the last five years, even if it was with scotch…"

"Minerva, Mundungus, maybe chocolate would be better than whiskey once she wakes?"

"Good idea, Remus!"

"Well, it's no Jack Daniel's, but I suppose…"

"Quiet!"

Everyone froze, looking at Draco's exasperated face before turning around to where Aurora was floating.

"Pansy, I'm trying to sleep. Wish you wouldn't snore so loudly…" the blonde girl mumbled, rolling over in mid-air. On a bed, it would be a very normal action; while floating, it looked very odd indeed.

Harry's eyes popped. "She…huh?"

Draco looked bewildered, but was grinning anyway. "Sounds like she's back to normal."

Dumbledore was fairly glowing. "Excellent. I think that I should take Miss Malfoy to the Hospital wing now. It seems the spell went perfectly."

McGonnagal nodded. "Of course, Albus. Perhaps the Order should stay here, and finish our discussion."

The old man smiled. "Excellent. I'll take our group of students to the Hospital wing as well."

A short time later, Dumbledore, Harry, Rose, Aurora, Draco, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Lindsey arrived at the door of the Hospital wing. The Headmaster paused before going in. He looked at Harry, hesitating.

"Professor?" Harry prompted. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in a way Harry couldn't quite place. "Yes, Mister Potter, there is."

He leaned closer. "Would you mind going in first to guide Miss Malfoy? Make sure she doesn't hit anything?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure." He opened the door, and led the way in. After taking about seven steps inside, he looked behind him and saw that the other sixth-years (plus Rose) had entered, while the Headmaster was still outside.

He heard some quick footsteps in front of him and whipped around to see Madam Pomfrey in all her glory. She swooped down upon Aurora, making clucking sounds and shining lights into her eyes. 

"Why wasn't she brought here sooner, Potter?" she barked at Harry. "I am the Mediwitch at this school! You will turn to ME when a student is injured! Minerva told me what happened, and she waits until now bring her here…" 

Not missing a beat, Madam Pomfrey grabbed some hospital pyjamas from a cupboard and chased the boys out while drawing a screen around Aurora and Hermione, throwing the pyjamas to the brunette so she could change her friend. She had just pulled the curtain shut when she froze stock-still.

"Where. Is. He." She ground out through gritted teeth. Harry looked at Ron, confusion evident in his face.

"I'm sorry?" he asked. "Who?"

The Mediwitch balled her fists so that her knuckles turned white. She stomped over to the door to the hospital wing and threw it open, revealing a very sheepish-looking Headmaster.

"ALBUS! What have I told you! You take a student to me immediately!"

He ducked, but it didn't stop him being hit many times with a Magiscope (a magical stethoscope). "But Poppy, there were…circumstances, and…I mean I- er, you see there was a good reason for my actions, and…"

The Mediwitch glowered up at the much taller Headmaster. "You will never, ever do that again," she finished firmly.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump and many other titles, bowed his head. 

"No, Poppy. I won't do it again, Poppy. I'm sorry, Poppy." And he shuffled off, head still bowed.

Draco Malfoy was disgusted. "The only wizard that You-Know-Who has ever been scared of, and he's scared of _her_?"

Harry shrugged. "She's not one to be trifled with," he said wisely.

"…and why does she smell like whiskey?" came Madam Pomfrey's voice from behind the curtain. She opened it to reveal Aurora sleeping on the bed. The nurse sighed. "Bloody Mundungus…"

Harry felt the urge to laugh, but held it back. He didn't want to be attacked with a Magiscope too.

"I'll let three of you stay until she wakes up, and then you will have to scoot. Understood?"

They nodded dutifully.

"You, Potter, you're covered in mud and blood! All of you are. You can't sit with her in MY hospital wing like that. Get clean immediately, or else…!" before she had finished the sentence, all seven of them had raced into the bathrooms attached to the hospital wing. They weren't about to incur her wrath. 

Hell hath no fury like. Especially when her Magiscope was within reach.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione was getting impatient. "Do you think she's going to wake up anytime soon?" she groaned, propping her chin on her hands.

Lindsey sighed and shrugged. "I have no idea. We've been here for, like, forever. It's been hours. Is that a bad thing?"

Ron frowned. "I'm not sure. Waking up would be good. All this waiting is making me hungry. Lord knows how many hours we've sat here for."

Lindsey turned to Ginny. "How long's it been now?" he asked, for the fifteenth time.

"It's been thirty-two minutes," Ginny said, looking at him strangely. "Two minutes after you last asked me. Boys really are impatient, you know that?"

Harry shrugged. "You may have mentioned it."

Rose sighed. "You know, this is the fourteenth time we've had this discussion. It's getting kind of old."

Draco groaned, stretching. "I agree. For once."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Agreeing with a Potter. Yikes. Did it hurt?" she asked sweetly.

He just looked at her witheringly. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

Rose rubbed her face. "What does Pondera Recrare mean anyway?"

Draco rolled his shoulders. Rose marveled briefly at how well muscled he was. Shame it was wasted on such a arrogant guy. "It means 'Balance be Restored," he said disinterestedly. When Rose looked at him surprised, he continued, "My mother gave me a classic education in Latin before Hogwarts."

Ron bit back a yaw. "You know, I feel kind of jipped. I mean, she's in perfect health – just sleeping. Why don't we just wake her up and eat?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No way! Madam Pomfrey'd blame us for waking her patient. I, for one, do NOT want to be hit with a Magiscope."

Hermione giggled. "I couldn't believe it. Dumbledore, of all people! It was like watching the Pope being scolded for not brushing his teeth. And no, I don't know why I thought of that. It just jumped into my head."

Ginny looked at the brunette. "O-kay," she said slowly, looking at Hermione weirdly.

Ron grunted, sighing again. "Please? I say we just give her a good poke in the ribs. It'll work. Then, we can eat."

Draco looked down at him. "Weasley, your stomach rules everything you do. You may want to work on that." After a few seconds of silence, he caved. "Despite that, I second the motion."

Harry shrugged. He leaned over and gave Aurora a healthy poke in the ribs. "Wake up," he said in a low tone, not wanting Madam Pomfrey to notice. 

Nothing happened. Hermione 'hmphed' and gave another, harder poke. "Aurora, wake up!" she said.

The blonde girl grumbled. "You gotta be joking." She muttered, rolling over and burying her face under her pillow. Hermione giggled. 

"Come, on, Aurora, time to get up."

The blonde groaned. "Aw, Blaise, five more minutes, I promise."

Then, she stopped. "Blaise?" she asked. "Why did I hear male voices a minute ago?"

Draco rolled his eyes, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her onto her back. "Because you're not in Kansas anymore."

Aurora's eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw was a collage of eight faces.

"Huh?" she pronounced eloquently.

"Aurora!"

"Rory?"

"Misia?"

"Miss Malfoy!"

"Sweetie?" Harry's pronouncement came last, and was only heard by Hermione. She turned to look at her long-time friend, amusement in her eyes. She raised an eyebrow, and Harry blushed, stammering, "Um…Aurora, I mean, um…what?" Hermione grinned and looked back at the blonde girl.

Said girl was reeling. "Um…guys? Air, remember?"

At once, everyone backed off at least a foot to give the girl some space. She looked a bit sleepy still, but apart from that was great. "Huh. And suddenly I'm in the Hospital wing. Odd."

She looked at everybody in turn, pausing at Harry. Her face went blank when she looked into his eyes, and she just stared at him for a few seconds, Harry, who was starting to feel awkward under the eye-contact, shifted slightly from foot to foot. "So, Aurora…um. How are you?" he asked lamely, starting to go pink. 

Her gaze didn't move from his face. "Oh. My. God." She said in a low voice, horror spreading across her face. "Oh, no, this is not…It c-can't be happening." She looked almost panicking now, and her eyes were still boring into Harry's.

"What? Aurora, what's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned. She reached out suddenly towards his face. He jerked as she swiped his glasses clean off his face. 

"This can't be happening!" she screeched. "What the HELL happened to my hair?"

In a swift movement, she was up and out of the bed, racing over to a mirror on the wall. Harry smiled goofily. He had never seen her look so beautiful.  She continued to wail. "I have bed-hair! It's all sticking up, and the ends are…_charred._ Why would the ends be charred?"

The mirror wheezed. "On the upside, dearie, it matches the huge dark bags under your eyes."

A/N hey there!!! That was funny, wasn't it? (yes, yes, RoseRiddle, it most certainly was!!!) oh, stop it. You guys flatter me too much. There was some fluff there, and I intend on writing some more.

Now, don't be shy. I really do appreciate reviews, and it helps me write more if I know what you guys think. If there's something you want to ask or if you just want to give me an honest opinion, I would really love it!! 

Ooh, in future chapters there's gonna be some romance-conflict, and a very painful incident including-

Pez: shut up! You can't tell them that.

Me: aww, but I wanna.

Pez: no way! It's a surprise.

Me: ok, ok. Fine. But it'll be hilarious, I promise! You guys will love what I have in store for this story!!

Review if you really, honestly want me to continue. I mean, why should I update if you don't review? I feel jipped, really. Hmmph. I probably will anyway, But I'd be really snooty about it and that does nothing for my complexion so it really would be best for everyone to REVIEW.

…please?


	28. Baskets of Love?

As Aurora was waking up in the Hospital Wing, Professor Dumbledore had taken the sleeping charm off the rest of the students that had been placed. The student body had woken up as if it were any ordinary morning, most unaware of what happened. They were filled in by gossip and speculation. Ten hours later, the rest of the school had learned about the whole incident, in a highly fabricated way. The whole story was being taken well out of proportion. Ginny had a conversation with Luna on the way to breakfast the next morning, and discovered it firsthand.

"Hey Luna, what did Becky just tell you coming out of the Ravenclaw common room? She looked so hyper, it was scary."

"She was retelling the story of what happened last night. Apparently, Harry conjured up an army of basilisks to do his bidding and saved Aurora – that Slytherin girl, Draco Malfoy's cousin –from being cursed by a horde of Death Eaters. Some girls even say that Sirius Black was there, and helped Lucius Malfoy lead the fight, but he disapparated out of Hogwarts and ran off again. Becky and Sam are swearing that they saw his shadow tearing across their window, then disapparating."

Ginny froze. She felt her heart skip a beat. Her boyfriend's father was innocent, and _still_ people thought he was You-Know-Who's right hand man? "That's what they really think, Luna?"

The blonde girl sighed. "Yes. Can't compare with the real story though, can it?"

Ginny was confused. "Huh?"

"Well, that obviously isn't true. Sirius Black isn't He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's right hand man, and no one can disapparate. Also, Harry wouldn't be able to conjure up a basilisk. They can only be born from a chicken's egg under a toad: no magical creature can be conjured."

Ginny felt a smile come on. "So, you don't believe Becky at all?"

Luna smiled passively. "Ginny, my father writes for the _Quibbler_. I've been brought up with weird stories all my life. I am an expert at telling truth from gossip."

"Why do you say that Black isn't a Death Eater?"

"Because he wasn't the Potter's Secret-Keeper. Peter Pettigrew was. My father wrote the exposé on that incident, where Black supposedly blew up the whole street. He told the truth, but the rest of the world didn't want to believe."

"Like Fudge saying You-Know-Who isn't back?"

"Exactly. The world will believe what they want to. I was brought up knowing the truth: Sirius Black is a good man who was wrongly jailed. I was really glad he escaped Azkabam." 

"So I suppose you want the true story now of what happened last night, huh?"

"You read my mind."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A short while later, Ginny sat opposite Hermione at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. She grinned madly when she saw that Aurora was back at the Slytherin table, her hair a minus the unattractive charred tips. She was laughing at something that Draco was saying, and looking more relaxed than she had in the whole time that Ginny had known her.

Hermione smiled, and jerked her head behind her towards the Slytherin table. "Notice who's missing?" she asked.

Ginny narrowed her eyes and scanned the table. "Goyle, Crabbe and Pansy Parkinson," she said after a moment. "Why?"

"Rory said that it was them who originally accosted her in the common room, who made her have a magical paroxysm and lose control. They tried to kidnap her for Lucius."

Ginny pulled a face. "Damn. That'd suck big, the people who you thought were friends turning."

"I know. It's terrible."

"You know what's even worse, though?" Ginny said, leaning forward and speaking in an undertone.

Hermione looked perplexed. "Uh, no…what's worse?"

Ginny spoke in a scandalized voice. "Using the words 'accosted' and 'paroxysm' when talking to your friends. Really, I slept, like three hours last night and my mind is mush right now. Have some sympathy, Hermione!"

Hermione turned pink and laughed embarrassedly, while Ron just rolled his eyes. "You know she always does that. Why should now be any different?" he was promptly hit in the arm.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Professor Black (Lindsey's mother) had spoken to Harry while at breakfast that morning, and had decided that in light of recent events, DA training sessions should resume as soon as possible. Harry had agreed emphatically, and Dumbledore had announced a sign on for the new term.

Harry had arrived at the Room of Requirement at 4:45, for a 5:00 start. He looked around the room, and saw that it was just as it had been the year before except for a few minor changes. For example, there was now a circle of salt in one corner of the room, and his twin sister sitting in the middle of it. Hang on, what the…?

"Rose? What're you doing here?" Harry asked. "Whatever happened to your whole existence being a secret?"

Rose shrugged. "Dumbledore thought that it would be best to limit the number of people the join the group this year, and he wants me to join in. Cuz of that, limited numbers for security. His sources say-"

"His sources? Aren't _you_ his source?"

Rose quirked an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. I've done a bit of mind reading on some really, incredibly weak-minded Death Eaters. They're the only ones that I can reach from such a distance. Seems that You-Know-Who-"

"-Voldemort-"

"-knows that something's up. He knows that there's someone here who has telepathic powers."

Harry was silent for a moment. He made himself busy; pulling some obstacles into the middle of the room, counting the number of pillows just in case. There was something on his mind that he couldn't answer. A nagging question that he needed to address.

"Rose, I have a question."

His twin looked up at her brother, nodded, and patted the floor nest to her in the circle. "Anything," she said lightly.

Harry licked his bottom lip, deep in thought. "I just don't get it. I mean, Voldemort came to our house when we were babies, and tried to kill us. He killed mum and dad, and tried to kill me. I got out, because our mother died to save me. But-"

He stopped grasping for words. "But, what about you? You have no miraculous scar, you're not the Girl-who-lived, you're not…" he trailed off at a loss for words.

Rose looked perplexed for a moment, twirling a long lock of strawberry blonde hair around her fingers. "I don't think…" she looked up, confused. "Hell, I have no idea whatsoever. Why you? What makes you so special?" she asked, almost finding the absurdity of the question funny.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "You told me once that after Voldemort attacked your family you got your powers. _Voila!_ Your words were."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but I don't even know if I was there. I mean, I haven't got a fancy-shmancy scar to parade about. I feel so…so excluded. Hurt, really. Like, why aren't _I_ a victim?"

Harry snorted as the door opened and Professor Black strolled in. "Hello, students," she began enthusiastically. "Ready to nurture the minds of your peers?"

Rose peeped over to see the look on Harry's face and cracked up laughing. Harry shook his head, and snapped out of his stupor. "Hey – Professor Black?"

Faith smiled. "Yes, Harry?"

"I was wondering…well, _we_ were wondering…how come Rose isn't known as the Girl-who-lived? How come she doesn't have a scar after what happened when we were babies? And why is she kept in secret?"

Rose wrinkled her nose. "It just occurred to me now that I never really knew. I just accepted what Dumbledore said."

Faith looked quizzical. "Because Rose wasn't even there," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Rose and Harry both continued to stare at her, so she elaborated.

"You remember that Sirius and I are your godparents, right?" Two identical nods. "Yeah, well Lily phoned me – we're both muggle-borns and had telephones – because Rose had bumped her head on a table." There was a loud snort from Harry, and a glare from his indignant twin. "She came over to my house to see what I thought, and left you, Harry, with your father."

Rose was silent. A _bump on the head_, of all things, had saved her from what Harry went through?

"Well, Lily remembered that she left her wand at her house, and used Floo powder to go back to her house quickly. That was the last I heard from her." Faith's voice wavered a little, but otherwise kept steady. 

Harry felt his heart drop. _That_ was why Rose wasn't there? To think, they all could have avoided the ambush if he and his father had gone with his mother to the Blacks' house.

"But, Professor," Harry persisted, "How come Rose has all her special abilities? Voldemort's curse didn't backfire off _her._" 

Something clocked in Rose's head. "Yeah, but we're Triple Helix Twins. There must've been a psychological link between us anyway, so when you got attacked…"

Faith nodded. "That's pretty much what happened. Voldemort didn't transfer _some_ of his powers into Harry, he transferred _all_ of his powers into the both of you. You two just shared out the powers. Harry got most of the physical, Rose the psychological.

Harry snorted. "Who got the bad power, then?" he joked, looking at Rose with a scared look in his eye. Rose smirked, and made a hissing noise. Harry pretended to jump back, shaking. "That's it! ROSE IS THE EVIL TWIN!"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Very cute."

"So anyway, why was I kept a secret? 'cause I gotta tell you, I would like a normal life from time to time."

Faith licked her lips. "Sybill – Cassandra, Vivian, whatever – had a vision. It was that if you were not brought up totally in a secure, good environment, you could be easily turned and used for evil."

Rose looked hurt. "They believed I was that naive?"

Faith shook her head vehemently. "You were a baby, Rose! You could have been taken by still loyal Death Eaters, and grown up believing that Voldemort was your father. Look at what they tried to do to Aurora, to use her power." 

Rose looked pleased now she was certain that they didn't think she was gullible. She preened, pulling her long hair up into a bun and tying it with an elastic band. "And now I'm joining the DA and going kind of public because…"

"Because you've grown," Faith finished. "Before now, you were forbidden to even _talk_ to Harry. Now you are a full member of the Order of the Phoenix, and we are very eager to have you go into action. You won't be misguided by the Dark anymore. That doesn't mean that we want them to know about you, as you're our secret weapon; despite this, we decided that it's time you came out of your shell."

Rose beamed, looking at Harry. "Fantastic." She sobered. "But did you know that some Death Eaters are aware of my…well, existence? I did some mind reading, and a few know about me. Voldemort knows something's up, he just can't pinpoint it."

Faith sighed deeply. "I know. Crap."

At that moment, the door to the Room of Requirement burst open to reveal about thirty-something teenagers. Harry was pleased to note that Aurora was among them. Draco was too, but that couldn't be avoided. Wherever Aurora went, so did he. Faithful little ferret he was. As they entered, a few began to whisper. 

"Hey, isn't that the chick who came in on our psyche lesson?"

"Yeah, I remember her from that class last year. What's she doing here…" 

"Huh, I wonder if she'd give me wrestling training…" that particular boy stopped mid-sentence as Draco's laugh came out loud and clear. 

"Not likely, Nichols. Try with some other chick," he drawled. Harry rolled his eyes. God, did Malfoy have to be so mean about Rose? He was always getting at her, saying she was 'untouchable' and 'frigid'. It just wasn't polite.

Aurora heard her cousin's comment, and bit back a smile. Methinks the cousin doth protest too much! He never attacked girls that way…unless they were Muggle-born. But, then, Rose was a Potter, wasn't she? But maybe if Draco put aside her heritage, he'd see there was more to her than just her name, and maybe one day he'd be civil. 

Harry cleared his voice, and everyone fell quiet. He felt hairs stand on that back of his neck. It was still really weird to have people expect _him_ to be a leader, a teacher. 

"Um…today, we're going to whittle down our number. Professor Dumbledore has asked that there be two classes this year. One class will be the really advanced, and they are gonna work with me. We're the Elite team. The others are going to be working with Professor Black a lot, and she's going to give them some help. Maybe, at the end of the term, we can have a duelling competition."

Everyone was still sneaking glances at Rose, who was winking back and pulling faces behind her brother's back. Harry smiled. "Some of you may remember Rose here. She's going to help us work on some psychological defence, like how to resist an Imperio curse. It's really important."

A snort from the back of the audience. Malfoy. Harry shrugged it off mentally. Figures.

"I don't think I'll need much help at all. I mean, I'm advanced at blocking trespassers in my mind already," Draco said with a bored tone. "Aren't I, luv?" he said cockily to Rose.

The girl in question looked unimpressed. "Do you want me to get you a basket, dear heart?" she asked in a voice dripping with sweetness. Harry felt a cavity coming on from how sickly she said it.

"Why would I need a basket?"

"To catch your fat head when it falls off your shoulders, silly."

Draco was in a room full of loud, raucous teens who never shut up. After that statement, the room fell completely silent. A pin could have dropped and been heard. Everyone's breath caught in their throats as they stared wide-eyed at this stranger, Rose, totally gobsmacked by her casual insult.

Insult? Insult a _Malfoy_? Had such a thing been done before, ever? To most of the students there, no. Definitely not. The last person to try and insult Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin, had received a broken arm and leg and nose and three fingers and a large smack to the head during a Quidditch match and mysteriously disappeared for a day or two. When he was found, he only spoke in rhyme for two weeks. Now he was a young Ravenclaw boy who made a passing comment about the ferret incident in private. To have someone openly insult him in public was a big step for anyone.

Was he going to hex the girl? Everyone stood with bated breath. Yes, it was official. She had gone too far. 

To everyone's amazement, Draco Malfoy smiled calmly again. He was always cool, calm and collected. He strutted towards her, pulling out his wand. He muttered some quick words under his breath, and then smiled brightly. He gave her a huge hug.

The students were gobsmacked. 

Rose stood stock still, frozen like a statue. He had her arms pinned, and she couldn't have moved anyway she was so shocked at what he did. Damn, not only muscled but strong…

__

What the HELL?!?! Harry could hear his twin's thoughts echoing round his head, and his were pretty much the same. No, not the muscles part - he only heard the 'what the hell?' part.

"You have such pretty hair, you know that?" Malfoy crooned, stroking a lock away from her face lovingly with a smile. Then, the released her from his tight embrace and walked over to an opposite side of the room, sitting in a chair and pocketing his wand with a smug smile on his face.

Still, there was silence. Rose was obviously panicking. "What did you do?" she asked urgently.

"Nothing, my Rose," Draco said charmingly, smiling still.

Rose paled. "You did something, I heard you! Was it…a…" she swung around, looking behind her to look for any sign of a curse or jinx. Then, people started to titter a little.

"My…hair…?" she stammered, reaching up self-consciously. She patted her hair, and pulled her bun out in alarm. She grabbed at the strawberry blonde locks, examining each strand looking terrified "WHAT DID YOU _DO_?" she screeched, tearing at her hair looking for evidence.

Draco continued to smile calmly. With an anguished wail, Rose tore out of the room. Aurora looked cross. "Drake!" she admonished. "NEVER mess with a girl's hair. That was just cruel."

Draco sneered, his smile leaving his face abruptly. "Not my fault she doesn't trust me. I didn't actually _do_ anything. She just thinks I did." With that, he stretched. "When I do something nice, it freaks her out. Malfoy one: Rose zero."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N hey there!! All done. 

Good grief. TWO reviews for chap 27?? The gods must be crazy. Cmon, people! I KNOW that more of you read this!! So, what did everyone think of the Rose/Draco interaction?? I love their relationship!! And as for the freaking out bit, that's what my brother does to me!! He just comes up and gives me a hug and for days I'm like 'aaargh!'

Quuen of Discord, thanks a bunch!! I'm gonna have a lot more humour coming….fiendishly funny idea I have in me noggin…

Star Esterella: _Riiiiiight_. Uh huh. Thanks….

Next chappie, a lot is going to happen…. ; )


	29. Miss Simply Marvellous

A/N

Some deep stuff here. Warning – some spiritual explanations etc. I'm catholic, get over it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Harry sat back in his chair, hands loosely at his sides.

"We…in m-…'n _huh_?!"

Dumbledore peered over the tops of his spectacles, chuckling lightly. "Very good, Harry. After you've mastered vowel sounds, your class will be starting on sentence structure."

Harry shook his head, still too shocked to fully register the gentle dig from the Headmaster.  "But Professor, do we really have to? I mean, Hogwarts is the safest place to be…"

Albus Dumbledore placed his fingertips together to form a steeple. He glanced idly at a sculpture sitting on one of his many bookshelves, noting absently that it was watching the conversation and making various gestures of approval whenever Harry spoke. Clearly, the little witch sculpture was smitten with the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Harry, my dear boy," Dumbledore began. "Hogwarts _is_ the safest place for anyone to be. However, my reasons have nothing to do with safety. You may have noted that the last term has passed quite quickly."

Harry nodded. In the corner, the witch sculpture nodded vigorously as well.

He continued. "The Christmas Break is coming up hard and fast, and as much as I would love all of you staying with us over the Yule Holiday, I have decided that it would be best for the eight of you to leave the school for a time. Mr and Miss Weasley, Mr and Miss Malfoy, Mr Black, Miss Granger, your sister and yourself: the eight of you have been through an extraordinary amount this year. It has been most trying. I think it would be best if you had your holiday away from school."

Harry was still surprised, and confused. "But sir, where are we all supposed to go? Only half of us have homes - Lindsey's house has been sold, and the Malfoys can't go back home…"

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "I have already taken this into account, Harry. Now, about the Prophecy."

Harry looked up wearily. The word 'prophecy' just didn't do anything for him anymore. After what happened last year in the Department of Mysteries…Harry swallowed hard. "Yes, Professor Dumbeldore?"

The wizened man sensed his discomfort but went on.  "It has been established that this particular prophecy involves the eight of you, and this is part of why I thought it best for you to get away. You need a break from what has been happening. Also, over the last term, an extraordinary level of magical energy and magnetism has been reached at the school, mostly because of the goings on of you eight."

Harry coloured. "Oh, sorry, sir. We didn't mean to make the levels, uh, rise…" He struggled to find something that seemed contrite, but was coming up empty. What was he supposed to say?

Dumbeldore chortled. "It's quite alright, Harry. I was merely saying that you have been in contact with a lot of magic, and that it would be best to get away from the energy fields at the school for a while. Get away from anything with magic, really, so you eight can rebuild your internal resources. Also, in light of the Prophecy, I have my reasons for wanting you to all stay together. Wherever you go, I will send you together. My reasons."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. He remembered quickly that this would mean spending his holiday with Draco Malfoy, and it took all his discipline not to snort distastefully in front of the Headmaster  "Okay, Professor. If I may ask - where are you planning to send us all?"

Harry went over all the places in his head. "It'd cost too much to go to a hotel or anything -" he had a brainwave. "Are we going to the Weasleys?"

He felt his heart jump up and down frantically when he came to that. Imagine - spending Christmas with the Weasleys! It would be fantastic. The big, family feasts, the presents, the fun, the laughter…he sighed inwardly. It would be a dream. Having his birthday was at the Burrow was extraordinary; it was better than he could ever have imagined. But Christmas…

"Not quite, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. Harry dropped back to reality with a _thud_. 

"Oh," he said simply in reply. Scratch that idea.

Still, he remembered, it would be fantastic. Dumbledore was a great guy; he'd send them somewhere fun for sure. And, not to forget - Harry got to spend his first Christmas with his sister!

He gasped when he remembered with a jolt that he hadn't even considered presents. Christmas was close…Harry mentally did some counting and felt like someone had punched him in the stomach when he realized how near it was. He only had a few days left of school, actually. Wait till he told Aurora…

AURORA! He felt his mouth go dry. Harry _still_ hadn't taken Aurora out. He had asked her, she said yes; he just hadn't got around to it yet. And Christmas? Boy, what to get the most beautiful girl in the world for a present…a mirror?

Dumbledore was watching him, amused. "Harry," he asked after a while. As entertaining as it was watching the boy's face move in response to whatever thoughts he was having at the time, there were important things to discuss.

Harry jerked up and grinned goofily. "Sorry, sir. Off with those Cornish pixies again."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I can imagine. Now, Christmas is in four weeks. I plan on having a Yule Ball at Christmas again this year, and I will allow for you and your group to return to Hogwarts three days before, and no more."

Harry nodded, doing the math quickly. "So we spend about three weeks away?"

"Yes. This will give time for you all to go shopping for the Yule Ball and such, while satisfying me by spending an appropriate amount of time away from the magic."

Harry frowned in thought. "So, you still haven't told me where we're going. Somewhere with no magic…is it London?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I'll make it a surprise."

Harry looked doubtful. "Alright," he said uneasily. It wasn't that he didn't trust Dumbeldore; it's just…. this was _Dumbledore_. He didn't think like regular people.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Aurora hummed as she shuffled her deck of cards. It was a weird experience. To think, when her fellow housemates and Lucius Malfoy accosted her, she had been intending to do a Tarot reading. 

They were all in Rose's room, as per usual. Lindsey and Ginny were lounging about together in a corner, whispering to each other and giggling (or chuckling manly in Lindsey's case). They attempted to smile innocently whenever someone looked over in their direction, but the innocent looks weren't fooling anyone. Ron and Hermione were sitting opposite each other on some soft, spongy couches. 

"Mione, I really don't see the problem," Ron was saying heatedly, his ears colouring deeply.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't," she replied snappishly. "Just because you told Seamus and Dean about Miss Simply Marvellous doesn't mean there's a problem."

The room was plunged into silence, broken by Draco. "Forgive me, but I think I've been absent for too long," he said incredulously, a smirk beginning to form on his pale face as he anticipated the ridicule he was going to have to inflict. "What happened?"

Hermione opened and shut her mouth quickly, looking for all the world like a goldfish. She couldn't find the right words to use, and settled for turning pink.

Harry tried desperately not to laugh from his position on Rose's bed, but he snorted loudly. His attempt to cover it up with a cough didn't work as intended.

Ginny shook her head mournfully from the corner. "Miss Simply Marvellous is her doll. Her cherished childhood toy."

"Ginny!" Hermione screeched, outraged. "Shut up! You aren't helping."

The redhead smiled tauntingly. "A rag doll, with hair made out of wool and a pale pink frilly dress with a white lace pinafore and little pink booties! Ron found out about it and let it slip to Seamus and Dean. Seamus got Lavender to go into the girls' dorm and steal the doll from Mione's bed."

Hermione was looking really pissed now. "Yeah. No problem," she hissed sarcastically at Rom, folding her arms and glaring.

Lindsey snorted, giving Ginny a kiss on the cheek. "That's not all. Over the last week, they've been taking photos of Miss Simply Marvellous in all these weird poses with costumes and- a-and-" he broke off, laughing too hard to continue. Harry did the rest. 

"Every day for the last week they've sent a letter to Hermione via owl-post, with a different photo each day and a ransom note, and the whole time she's had no idea who it was!"

Harry was now laughing full out, as was everyone else save Hermione. She glared darkly at Ron, who was holding his breath, trying to compose himself.

Draco's cheeks were tinted pink as he chuckled. "That's so classic!" he gulped down some oxygen. "Come on, tell – what poses were there?"

At this, Ginny started to cry she was cackling so much. "Oh, they were so good!" she gasped. Rose nodded fervently from her position next to Aurora on some beanbags. 

"They were ingenious! In one, Miss Simply Marvellous was on some skis in a snow background; in another, she was in a bikini on a beach – in one she was tied up in a chair in a dark room with a lamp trained on her and a blindfold on!"

Draco was trying really hard not to start crying with laughter, and if he had been anyone else he would have. Rose stared in amazement as he fell off her bed and landed with a _thump_ on the hard floor, doubled up in a fit of mirth.

Hermione was glaring daggers at Ron, who was paling by the minute. He seemed to realize that he didn't have much longer before Hermione's wrath was unleashed upon him.

"As en-en- " he broke off, hiccoughing, "-entertaning as this is, can we please move on and get started on the Tarot reading?" Ron looked towards Aurora pleadingly. 

The blonde wiped tears from her eyes, still breathless from her own giggling fit, and cleared her throat. She took a calming breath. "Okay. Here we go. Can everyone please put their left hand on the deck please?"

They all complied. Draco shrugged and put his hand on the pile of cards offered by his cousin. He blinked when another hand touched his. The hand was cool and silky smooth. He looked down and saw milky white skin, long, tapering fingers. He followed the hand up the arm to its owner and found himself staring into Rose's eyes.

He jerked inwardly, but didn't let his surprise show. He stared into her eyes, a thrill working its way up his spine. He felt his mouth dry up a bit. He began to feel a tad too warm.

_God, not again,_ he groaned inwardly. _I hate her! I wish she wasn't so…so…_

A thousand words rushed through his mind of how to describe Rose. _Pretty? Understatement of the year. And there's so much more to her than looks.._ She was vivacious, but he couldn't be sure if that was a good thing_. Fun, passionate, intelligent, witty_…there were endless words, but he could only settle for one.

_Enthralling. That's it; everything fits into one phrase. Everything about her is so intense, so Rose. She's enthralling. A fiery goddess. My fiery goddess._

He realized that he was staring and looked away casually, breaking their eye contact so he wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable.

Rose was aware of his staring. To her disappointment, however, she had no idea what he was thinking. She never did. 

He was such a mystery! A drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly toned and muscular mystery. She felt her stomach do a flip when she reviewed what she had been thinking.

_NO WAY! Oh, no. Draco Malfoy is in no way attractive, Annabelle Rose Potter,_ she told herself sternly. _He's calculating and devious and evil…_

_…and God he's hot. And he's dashing and brave and suave and handsome and charming when he wants to be and devastatingly…NO!   Aw, I did it again._ She tutted to herself, glad that Harry couldn't hear all her thoughts. 

Aurora was kneeling right in between them while the silent conversations were going on. She smiled to herself calculatingly much like a Cheshire cat would. _Hmm,_ she thought amusedly. _This is going to be interesting._

Presently, Aurora smiled and took back her deck. "Can we all make a circle now please?" she asked gently. After some shuffling, they were all seated. 

Aurora, to her delight, found that she was seated in between the two males she cared about most. On her left was Draco; on her right was Harry. On Harry's other side was Ginny, then Ron, then Lindsey. Lindsey had wisely decided to sit in between Ron and Hermione, who was sitting crossly on his other side. Then came Rose, and next to her was Draco. 

Rose and Draco both noticed the seating arrangements. They glanced at each other, but quickly looked away. Neither said anything.

Aurora, pleased with the arrangements, began to lay the cards. "What I'm going to do it lay one card in front of you. Usually, you can determine who you are without any trouble. However, this time, I'm going to let the cards decide who we are."

She dealt everyone a card, face down in front of them. "Your card represents you in the eyes of the Powers that Be. It often coincides with personality or birth date. These cards are Court cards from the Minor Arcana. That's one of the two decks." She turned over her own card, and smiled. She held it up.

They all gazed wonderingly at the Tarot card Aurora held up. It was a picture of a woman, dressed all in white and pale blue, seated on a throne. "The Queen of Cups is my card," Aurora said with a hint of smugness. "Cups generally is a water suit. It's about the emotional side of a person. In case you haven't noticed, I kind of have a water theme going on."

Draco snorted next to her, and she reached over and flipped his card. Draco's card was  a man in white, sitting on a throne with a golden crown on and holding a gleaming sword aloft. Draco nodded.

"Same as last time we did a reading. King of Swords. It's an air sign – Swords is a thinking sign."

"Huh, so how'd you get to be a King of thinking?" Ron said casually. "Oh, did you say air sign? Ha! Always said you were a blonde airhead!"

Draco glared. 

Aurora glared too, pursing her lips. "You have a problem with blondes?" she asked, her tone dangerous. Ron gulped, quickly deciding a subtle topic change would be safest. 

"So, anyone else see the Sussex Tigers play the Cannons last Friday? They said it was a fantastic game, Mimbley is a great Chaser…" 

"My turn!" Rose called out excitedly. She flipped over her own card, revealing a woman sitting on a throne dressed in a long golden robe. She was wearing a shining coronet and in her right hand held a long wooden…

"She's holding a tree branch," Rose said flatly. "A big, stinking tree branch. Oh, yeah. That represents me. By the way, that's sarcasm."

Aurora looked affronted. "Rose, it's the Queen of Wands. Some respect, please. It's a fire sign, fire is the intuitive side of a person."

_Fire, is it?_ Draco thought to himself. _Ah-ha! I was right. Queen of Wands? She really is a fire goddess._

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Queen of Wands? How on earth can that be me? I don't even use a wand! Wands don't like me much, actually. They tend to turn themselves off when I pick them up."

Hermione looked perplexed. "You must be mistaken. Even if a witch or wizard uses a wand that's not their own, you can still get _some_ result out of it, even if it's just a fizzle."

Rose shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Not for me. Oh, and that card – is it even a wand the woman's holding? I mean, look at it! The 'wand' the Queen is holding is, like, twice her height and thick as her arm! It even has leaves and twigs on it."

Her mouth lifted on one side crookedly as she shrugged dismissively. "I don't see it, sorry."

Aurora looked at her witheringly. "Rose, hon, don't diss the cards." She held up a hand as Rose tried to speak. "No! no more. You think what you want to think about my cards. I'll think what's right." She peered over at the strawberry blonde regally. "But I'm going to warn you now: don't come crying to me when God smotes you down."

Hermione looked like she was going to say something, but stopped herself. She tried again, starting to open and shut her mouth like a fish again.

Aurora sensed her unease and turned to her. "What's wrong?"

Hermione tilted her head to the side. "How can you say that about God and still believe in Him and stuff, but be a witch and believe in the Powers that Be? It's in the Bible that witchcraft is, like, worshipping Satan."

Aurora blinked. "I believe, and so it is."

Ron scratched his head. "Got me there," he muttered, turning to say something to Lindsey.

Aurora elaborated. "From where I stand, something exists if I believe it. I believe in God, and therefore He exists for me. I am also a witch."

Hermione shook her head. "Sorry, I still don't get it."

Aurora took a breath. "Well," she said slowly, "I guess I believe in God really strongly. I believe He made everything, and He made us. Since I believe that, I also believe that God made witches and wizards and gave us the power to perform small miracles. It's up to us how we interpret the power. Do you think that the men who wrote the Bible were wizards? Of course not. And the Church in the middle ages during the Witch burnings; they weren't witches and wizards either. It's not a mistake in the Bible, and we're not sacrilegious and I'm s\certainly not a worshipper of Satan. It's just really old discrimination"

Hermione nodded, understanding dawning on her face. "I see. But, what about some of the spells you do? You seem to appeal to other deities. And how come you think using Tarot is okay in your religion?"

"Ahh…okay, that's a tough one," Aurora laughed uncertainly. "Well, basically, I believe that God endorses using Tarot on at least some level, or else he wouldn't allow Divine secrets to be divulged at all suing them. And just because I 'appeal' to other deities doesn't mean I believe in them. I just…I believe in _other_ people's beliefs in them, so I use that to borrow power from someone else's faith."

She wrinkled her nose. "If that makes sense." She shrugged, turning over Hermione's representative card. "Anyway, here you are."

It was a boy. A boy holding a sword. Hermione slumped, looking moody. "No way. Uh-uh. That's so mean, Rory."

Draco and Ron both had to turn away very, very quickly and cover their mouths. There was no doubt what they were ding from how much they were shaking.

Aurora looked apologetic. "It's not that bad – Page of Swords. Thinking sign, air. Really, it's not an indication of boy or girl that matters. The position you hold in the Minor Arcana comes down to other stuff."

"Power," Harry put in helpfully. Aurora flashed him a smile, earning a goofy grin back from him.

Hermione was unimpressed. "You mean that I'm a Page, so I'm all unpowerful?" she rolled her eyes. "Ouch. I wish I were a Queen."

"Hey, I'm the King of Swords. Sorry, Granger, but you're not going to be my Queen." Draco said sarcastically.

Rose snorted. "Brighten up, Hermione, at least you aren't holding a tree trunk."

"Wand!" came Aurora.

"Whatever," finished Rose.

Lindsey's card was flipped over. "Knight of Cups. Water sign, emotional traits." Ron's card turned out to be the Knight of Pentacles, and Ginny was the Page of Pentacles.

"Pentacles is the Earth sign, it's the trait of sensation."

Ginny giggled, snuggling into Lindsey's arms. "I said that you were sensational, Gin," the dark-haired youth murmured in her ear, pressing a firm kiss to her jaw.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow at Ron. "My knight in shining armour," she said wryly. Ron gulped, still thinking about Miss Simply Marvellous. Hermione didn't appreciate the last photo, of the doll chained up in the dungeons on a stretching-rack.

Aurora smiled. "Last card," she said cheerfully. She reached forward to take up Harry's card, and her fingers brushed with his. She licked her suddenly dry lips, her heart missing a beat…or two…as she gazed up into his emerald green eyes. 

He smiled at her, making his eyes crinkle around the edges and sparkle even more than usual. She smiled back, flipping over the card. She prayed silently that her hands wouldn't start shaking, as they had a habit of doing.

She felt everyone's gaze upon her as she looked at the image on the front of the card. A man, sitting on a throne wearing an orange robe and a gold coat over the top. He had a gold corwn adorning his head, and his throne was emblazoned with a lion. He was holding a shaft of wood with leaves and twigs on it, just like Rose's.

"The King of Wands," Aurora breathed. She felt warm, whenever she was finishing a reading. "Fire sign. Intuitive. See the lion on his throne?"

The others nodded dumbly. Aurora was excited. "It all fits, you see? The lion…Harry, you're not just in Gryffindor, but your star sign is Leo! Everything works out."

Draco was looking pensive. Rose noticed, and caught his eye. "What's up?" she asked lightly.

Draco frowned in concentration. "You know the Prophecy?" he said slowly. "That links in too. Calling the he-Potter 'Sun' and saying he's got fire inside him. And – hey – Dumbledore told us that you two- " he indicated Harry and Aurora, "-are Elementals. Fire and Water. Anyone else seeing a pattern?"

Hermione nodded, a smile forming on her lips. "See? You aren't an air sign for nothing."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Harry James Potter had been through many trying times in his life. He had seen a lot, been through a lot. This was one of those times when he really, truly hated his life.

The sixteen-year-old King of Wands stood on the doorstep, horrified. The door had a big, gaudy wreath of mistletoe and holly, and it was sprinkled with snow. It looked perfectly charming, and Harry was devastated. He was really staying here for three weeks? Ouch. 

"NO. No, please, oh please oh God no, this is a joke, right? Please, this is a joke…anyone? Joking?"

There was silence. Standing around him almost unrecognizable under piles of luggage were the other seven – Ron, Hermione, Lindsey, Ginny, Draco, Rose and Aurora. They all looked at him questioningly.

Professor Dumbledore shook his white-haired head with finality. "No, Harry. I said you would be staying somewhere without magic, and here you are."

The door creaked open, and for a brief moment, Harry hated Dumbledore.

Petunia and Vernon Dursley opened the door. They noticed Dumbledore standing there, and Petunia cleared her throat. 

"Well?" she said sharply. "Are you all going to stand there, or come inside?"

&*&*&

A/N

Hey wow I know, I actually updated. Hmm. So here we are! The Dursleys. Ooooh, I can't wait for you guys to hear what I have planned next….you're going to be surprised, that's all I'm saying.

Lotsa love to Perry, Aleana, star estrella and Gina. You guys rock!

Everyone else, review please? Feedback is sooooo good. Makes me WANT to write. 

Oh, did you know? Holidays are coming up. Finally, I'm done with exams and can write some more. 

PS does anyone know of a good quality, longish Roswell/Buffy crossover? I'm considering starting to write one, and I want to read some more to get into character. Help me out please!

MANY thanks, RoseRiddle


	30. Peroxide? NO WAY

Harry felt his heart drop to his knees. He looked up forlornly into his Aunt's horsy face, knowing that every single one of the wrinkles marring her face were a result from years of frowning at him. He looked towards his Aunt as she pursed her lips.

"I said, come in, boy. And bring those frea- "she stopped herself in time, remembering that they all still held their wands,  " –your friends inside. I don't have all day," she finished irritably. Vernon stood next to her, scowling deeply.

Had he not been so depressed, Harry would have noted with malevolent satisfaction that Vernon had put on weight, and was looking more like beetroot than ever. His complexion was slowly turning more and more purple as he looked around at the group. 

"Eight? Eight of you?" he muttered furiously. "The old crackpot only said a few…"

Ron coughed into his hand at the reference to his Headmaster, knowing full well that Dumbledore had orchestrated this. Ron was the only one present apart from Harry who had ever had the pleasure of meeting the Dursleys before, and he wasn't really after a repeat experience of last time. Now, he had to _live_ with them for three weeks! And people said Voldemort was evil…

Petunia ushered everyone inside, before peering outside anxiously to check if any of the neighbours had seen the group of teenagers loitering on her doorstep. If anyone asked, she could just say that they were friends of Dudley's…she snorted to herself. As if her son would _ever_ associate with freaks like that.

She slammed the door shut, fuming inwardly at being persuaded into taking the children for three weeks, especially considering it was Christmas. She didn't want to be saddled with caring for nine teenagers! She had presents to buy, meals to prepare for. Really, it was most inconvenient.

Draco stood in an unimpressed pose, thoroughly disgusted. _Really,_ he thought. _Dumbledore is EVIL. What have I done to the old coot lately? What have I done to deserve to be isolated from magic in a …house, if one could call it that…with Muggles?_

Petunia tutted impatiently, pushing the group into the lounge and snapping the curtains shut quickly. She turned upon the witches and wizards, nostrils flaring.

_THAT'S Mum's sister?_ Rose thought. Harry caught her eye and nodded, his eyes expressing exactly how he was feeling. He idly wondered how many ways it was possible to murder an elderly wizard without being arrested. He was slightly cheered by finding a few possibilities.

"Alright, you lot." Petunia began, not afraid at all. After she had heard about Sirius's death, she wasn't intimidated by magic anymore, and wasn't hesitant in how she treated Harry.

"First things first: you are all here out of my and Vernon's charity, that is all. You may not perform any magic in my house. You may not _speak_ of any magic in my house. If you even _THINK_ about magic in my house, there shall be punishment."

_Oops, you mean like this? _Rose thought, projecting her thoughts telepathically to the rest of the group from Hogwarts. They all tried their level best not to grin at her blatant defiance.

Petunia sensed something rebellious from the snickering group and frowned, although she couldn't tell what was happening. "I want it clear: there shall be NO MAGIC at all. To ensure this, I would like everyone's wands and books and anything else- " she shuddered, "-_magical,_ right now. I will take care of it until you depart. As long as there is no magic, I can't see why we won't all have a fabulous time." She added sweetly.

She whirled upon Harry. "You, boy," she snapped, her sweet façade gone. "Where is that infernal bird of yours? I won't have it in my house, not this time."

Harry shrugged. "I sent her off this morning, Aunt Petunia," he answered dully. "She's at the Weasleys', with Ron's owl too."

At the mention of the Weasleys, Petunia snorted through her nose and raised an eyebrow at Ron, who recoiled. She cast an eye over the rest of the group and saw a girl with dark red hair. "Obviously, a weasel as well," she said, looking at Ginny.

Ginny gave a small smile. "My name is Virginia, Mrs Dursley," she said in a polite voice. "Thank you for letting us stay- "

She was cut off abruptly as Petunia held out a hand under her nose. "Wands," Petunia said flatly, "-Now." Ginny looked at a loss, and looked at Harry incredulously. 

Harry met Ginny's gaze, and sighed heavily. He reached into his pocket and took out his wand, placing it in his Aunt's bony hand. "We only brought our wands," he said in a dreary tone. "We weren't allowed to take anything else magical."

Hesitantly, the Ginny followed Harry's lead, and then the others. When they gave Petunia their wand, they introduced themselves.

After Ginny gave her wand over, Lindsey came up. Oh, yeah. He knew Petunia Dursley well; she just didn't know it. After spending fourteen years living down the road from her, he had come to know her quite well and despite everything, he was sure he could manage.  

"Lindsey Black," he said by way of introduction, handing over his wand morosely. Petunia looked up sharply.

"Any relation to Sirius?" she asked in a distasteful voice. When Lindsey only stared at her, she took it as a yes and went on. 

"Ron Weasley."

"Hermione Granger.  Ah, I own a cat, Mrs Dursley…"

Petunia nodded stiffly. Out of all the children, the Granger girl seemed the most normal. "As long as it eats and sleeps outside, and doesn't make any mess. Is it a _normal_ cat?" 

Hermione smiled graciously. "As normal as they come, Mrs Dursley. Don't worry, Crookshanks won't make a mess, he'll just sleep." 

Draco handed his wand over with disgust written all over his features. He stepped back without a word, not trusting himself to speak he was so angry. How DARE some Muggle tell a Malfoy to hand over his wand? It was intolerable. He wouldn't stand for it.

Aurora's eyes flickered towards her cousin calculatingly. She knew exactly what was going through his head. Diplomatically, she gave the woman her wand. "I'm Aurora Malfoy, and he – the blonde – is my cousin, Draco Malfoy. Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Vernon's nostrils flared from where he was in the corner. "That is not your natural hair colour, girl. Blue. I want it gone before you go outside."

Aurora gaped, reaching up at touch her blue tips disbelievingly. "Really, it is my real co- " she was cut off, her heart sinking, as Petunia raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't born with blue tips, were you?"

Aurora opened her mouth, but Harry met her gaze with wide eyes and shook his head vehemently, mouthing 'No! Nothing magical!'

Aurora swallowed. "Oh, no. Sorry. I, um, dyed it at school for a dance…"

"Then you will bleach it blonde for while you stay here, at least. You will look like any other average girl while you stay." She looked thoughtful. "I'm sure I have some peroxide in the bathroom." She looked at Aurora's stunned expression, and looked away before she could protest.

Petunia turned towards the last person, and froze.

That face!

"Um…hi, Aunt Petunia," Rose said in a small voice. 

Rose's emotions were running through her like heavy waves, threatening to push her down. She felt slightly ill at the notion of meeting her Aunt after all this time. 

"I'm- "

"I know who you are, child," Petunia said crisply, meeting her eyes. "You look so much like Lily…except you have your father's eyes. That colour isn't right…"

Petunia looked into her niece's eyes. They were just as she remembered from the photo Lily had sent her – sea green, mostly tinged with blue. The shape was large and expressive, not at all the almond shape of her sister. She blinked, returning to reality. It wasn't the real Lily she was looking at; it was her daughter, a witch. "Wand. Now."

Rose shook her head, shrugging. "I don't have a wand – I can't do magic like the others. I don't even go to class," she said, somewhat sadly. She really missed out on a lot.

Petunia gazed into her eyes. No magic.

…No magic? Rose was normal! Petunia had felt terrible when she first saw Rose. She was a spit-image of Lily at that age, except for her eyes. So why did it feel so bad?

She felt anger seethe in her chest. She felt bad, damn it, because it was just like losing Lily all over again. Just seeing Rose was enough to make her remember what life was like…before the magic, before Lily was a witch. Back when she was just Lily, her sister.

Petunia blinked again. "I see. Well, that's nice to know. I'm glad _one_ of you is normal."

With that, she swept over to the stairs, indicating the rooms upside with a sweep of her arm. "I am sorry to say that we have limited sleeping arrangements for while you all stay here," she said vindictively. 

"There are only four bedrooms. One is for Vernon and myself, another is for Dudley and his possessions."

Harry gaped. "But the other rooms are TINY! Marge's is small enough, but there's no way you can fit more than two people in my room. There isn't enough room to swing a cat with one person in it!"

Vernon stepped forward, cuffing Harry's head roughly. "Quiet, boy," he growled. "Don't be so insolent: I won't tolerate you this holiday. The girls will be staying in Marge's room. Go take their bags up."

Harry opened his mouth to protest putting so many people in one room, but Vernon grabbed a suitcase from Hermione and threw it at Harry, who only just caught it in time.

The clever brunette girl tried to diffuse the situation. "Really, Mr Dursley, it's okay," she said, trying to take back her second suitcase, which was being wrestled from her. "We can manage on our own- " 

"NOW!" Vernon bellowed, and pushing Harry forward and swiping out with his arm. Harry's face flushed red with embarrassment as he ducked; his head lowered so as not to meet anyone's gaze. Everyone's eyes were on him as he took the girls' suitcases quickly, and started up the stairs. 

"I haven't got all day, whelp," Vernon grizzled, and Harry finished climbing the stairs resentfully and disappeared around a corner, dragging the impossible number of bags. Rose heard his furious, mutinous thoughts, and blanched. Wow. She never knew Harry had such a, ah…vocabulary. His imagination was pretty advanced, as well.

Petunia sniffed delicately. "Boys, you are to stay in his room." It took everyone a while to realize she was talking about Harry. 

Draco just stood in the lounge room, aghast. Saint Potter, hero of all, being treated like a House-elf by Muggles? If he were still on speaking terms with his father, he would have laughed at the expression on Lucius's face when he told him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Harry lugged all the bags into Marge's room and dropped them with a thud. He scowled as the girls all tried to fit in. The visitor's bedroom was decorated in pale pinks and creams, and therefore totally unsuited to Aunt Marge. There was a single double bed in the middle of the room, and the only other furniture was an armchair, an already full bookcase and a lamp. A window was along one side of the room, overlooking the neighbour's yard. All in all, it was a cute, pleasant room, had there been only one small girl living there. However, four teenagers were supposed to be staying in there for three weeks, and the room was roughly the size of a jail cell. It was obvious to everyone that it was going to be tough.

"It's, um…cosy." Hermione enthused, trying to say something positive, but failing miserably. 

"It's a box, trying to fit in four people," Harry supplied moodily. "And my old room is half this size." He dropped three brightly coloured sleeping bags on the floor. "Maybe if you want to take turns for who uses the proper bed, keep swapping…" He was clearly upset that all his friends had to experience this along with him. It was humiliating, and inconvenient. 

Aurora put a gentle hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be fine, Harry," she said soothingly. "Do you want help moving everyone's things into your room?"

Harry smiled at her, his first smile in a while. Aurora often had that effect on him. Her kind smile and loving eyes seemed to brighten every moment.

"Thanks, Rory," he said. "Sorry about having to dye your hair."

Aurora rolled her eyes, smiling at him. "It's okay, I'll- "

"Boy! Come here," Vernon commanded from outside the door. Harry gazed at Aurora wearily before squeezing her hand and walking away.

"Yes, Uncle?" Aurora and Rose followed him out, and Hermione and Ginny came too.

"Are the lads settled yet?" Vernon asked gruffly.

Harry shook his head as Draco, Ron and Lindsey appeared at the top of the stairs. 

Vernon puffed up impatiently. "What are you waiting for, boy?" 

Harry took his cue and led the other three into his old bedroom. He opened the door and walked in. Aurora gasped when she saw it, reaching out to take his hand. Harry swept his spare arm around, watching as Vernon headed off somewhere downstairs. "Welcome to my room, everyone."

Ronald Weasley had always grown up in a somewhat cramped house. His family wasn't the richest of Wizarding Lineage, and that was reflected at the Burrow. He had always thought his own room was a bit lacking, but now when he saw where Harry lived, he told himself mentally to shut up and stop complaining.

That night back in second year when he, Fred and George had rescued Harry, he hadn't really noticed Harry's living conditions. 

The room was tiny. That much was obvious. It had polished wooden floorboards, and plain cream walls. There was a sizeable window where Harry had escaped in second year, and Harry was infuriated to note that the remnants of the bars were still there. The door still had all its extra 'accessories', such as the cat door. The bed was plain, threadbare and a dull grey. The shelves on the walls were empty, and the cupboard was too. It was like the proverbial ghost town.

Rose waited until she was sure Vernon and Petunia were downstairs before turning to her depressed twin. "Harry," she breathed. "You never told me it was like this…do you even live here?"

Harry shrugged moodily. "Yeah, I do. Spend most of my time at school, though. Can't imagine why," he finished sarcastically.

"But why isn't there anything of yours here?" Rose persisted. She tried to put some humour in the situation, make Harry laugh. "No posters, no quills, no books or dirty clothes…what's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a messy teenaged guy! I know for a fact that at school your dormitory is as unkempt as your hair."

Draco sniffed daintily. "Not all teenaged wizards are messy, Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes, ignoring his comment but feeling a quick thrill when the blonde called her by her first name. "Really, Harry. There's nothing to claim the room as yours."

"That's 'cause I don't want to be here, and the Dursleys don't want me to be either," he said quietly. He waited a moment before running his hand through his hair. "And it's really not that messy."

Rose looked at him sadly. "So…do you own anything in the house? I saw you're not in any pictures downstairs…it's like you don't exist here."

Harry sat down on the corner of his bed. "The Dursleys don't like to advertise the fact that I live here during the summer for awhile. Everyone who knew me before I knew I was a wizard all think I spend my days at St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys."

Rose, Hermione, Lindsey and Draco all looked at him before starting to laugh uncontrollably. "Criminal?" Hermione choked out. "YOU?"

Lindsey was almost crying. "I heard about it from mum, but I didn't think it was true!" he crowed.

Aurora looked concerned for Harry. "Incurably Criminal?" she asked skeptically. "Although that might explain the bars on the window and all the locks on the outside of the door."

Ginny looked horrified, checking out the padlocks for herself. "That's terrible!" she muttered.

Harry shrugged. "Hence the staying at Hogwarts," he said flatly.

They started putting sleeping bags on the floor, finding that there was only room for another two bags in the small space. Harry was looking puzzled, when thundering stomps and laboured breathing indicated Uncle Vernon climbing the stairs again. After making it halfway, he called out.

"Boy! Come here, we need to discuss sleeping arrangements."

"Coming," Harry said, looking a bit ill. He gazed at the floor worriedly, before looking towards Ron. "I don't think there's enough room," he said in a low tone. "They might put me in with Dudley. I'm not sure."

Ron winced. "C'mon, mate. If there isn't enough room in here, imagine trying to fit in a room with HIM!" he and Lindsey laughed loudly, being the only people who had the pleasure of seeing Dudley Dursley before. He wasn't home yet, and everyone else was going to have to wait until dinner to see him.

Harry grinned wryly, and squeezed Aurora's hand before releasing it and walking down the corridor towards the stairs. Disappeared down the stairs, and walked into the kitchen.

Vernon was looking overjoyed, while Petunia was just looking unimpressed. "Really, Vernon, don't we have a choice?" she was asking quietly, so as not to let anyone else hear what she was saying. "He's too big now! It's ludicrous. And his friends will tell Dumbledore…"

"Tell him what?" Harry interrupted. Rose had followed him downstairs and was leaning against the kitchen sink.

Harry instantly regretted asking his Uncle, because Vernon puffed out like a big fish. "Don't ask questions, boy!" he bellowed, before deflating a little with a malicious grin. "But if you really wan to know…"  

Harry's eyes narrowed. Something told him this was not going to be pleasant. "What is it, Uncle Vernon?" he asked hesitantly.

"Well, you may have noticed that, unfortunately, there really isn't enough room for four teenaged boys to stay in your bedroom."

Harry nodded slowly. "I'm sure we can make it fit, Uncle," he tried, but Vernon shook his heavy head.

"Out of the question. Petunia and I have talked about this for a while, and we have decided that of course, the guests take priority. We can fit three boys in your bedroom, even if it is a bit of a squeeze."

Harry swallowed. "And, er, where do I sleep?"

Vernon smiled nastily, while Petunia glowered at him. "We really don't have a choice, boy. You're to stay in your old room."

Harry's face went blank. "My old bedroom?" he asked, contemplating. "Where else have I slept?"

Petunia sighed, picking up a feather duster and handing it to the puzzled teen. Vernon guffawed. "Don't you remember?"

Harry shook his head no, bewildered. 

"For the next three weeks, you're back in your cupboard under the stairs. You may want to clean it first."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N

Well, here we are. Dursleys. In the next chapter, we must ask ourselves a question: WHY didn't Petunia tell Harry he had a twin?? The question will be answered. 

I DID have plans for a sweaty, shirtless Harry doing hours of manual labour in the yard, but then I remembered that this is set in England tear where it is Winter at Christmas! (I am Australian, so before now this was perfectly acceptable.) 

Don't worry, there will be some fights and some Harry/Rory action as well as some Draco/Rose action.

OOOh Dudley is coming back next chapter. And isn't it a shame about Aurora's hair???

Please review, let me know how its going. There will be a lot of Harry abuse in the future. He needs your help! Please review, so I can write it quickly and finish the pain!

As always, many thanks to Perry and Aleana, who review no matter what.  Thanks also to Badger for his/her two word review: this was the only feedback I got apart from the people I pay to read. 

To save Harry, you need to 

REVIEW


	31. Peer Pressure and Doors

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he reached into the darkness. There were demons in this dark hellhole; he was certain of it. If it weren't for the whole Muggle thing, he was almost willing to bet that there was a Boggart hiding inside his old cupboard under the stairs. He let out a howl when his hand touched something wet.

"AAARGH! No way! Awww, NASTY…" Rose shook her head pityingly, patting his arm to comfort him.

"Look, Harry, I'll clean the cupboard out if you wa- eeek!" she shrieked and backed away when Harry produced a wet, mouldy sponge from a corner with a grimace. "What the heck is _that_ doing in there?"

"Um, when I first moved into my bedroom upstairs, a pipe in the cupboard had started to spring a leak," Harry said, contemplating. "I remember putting a sponge there the week before I left…ugh. Six year old leakage."

Rose bit her lip, trying to keep a laugh in check. "Boys. I swear, you're all the same."

Hermione nodded fervently from her spot next to Rose. "I can't decide whether that sponge belongs in a Petrie dish or a zoo," she said passionately. "Growths like that bring a whole new meaning to the word 'penicillin'."

"No kidding. It's like a lucky dip, trying to clean out this cupboard. Never know what I'm going to find."

"Well, I'll see about trying to get a lightbulb, okay? It'll be better once we can get some light down here," Hermione offered, trying to be useful.

Harry looked doubtful. "Aunt Petunia keeps spares in the third drawer of the kitchen – across from the fridge. I'm not sure if there'll be any left, though."

Rose shrugged. "I'll check."

"You know what they are?"

Rose nodded, frowning slightly. "I'm not dense. Dumbledore made sure I took Muggle Studies from him personally."

She stood up straighter, rolling her shoulders to get the crick out of her neck. Watching Harry go back in, she winced. It was really unacceptable, the way he was expected to live. Ron, Gin, Lindsey, Rory and Draco were upstairs, speaking in hushed tones.

Rose walked over to the kitchen, still feeling weird in her Muggle clothes. She was wearing a dark purple fluffy-knit jumper with a rolling collar. It was one of Hermione's favourite pieces, and was bought overseas in France. Despite this, Rose actually felt kind of silly wearing it. She was used to wearing robes or nightgowns, but her clothes were predominantly medieval style dresses. No particular reason, she just liked them. Three cheers for velvet and silk. In the Wizarding World, it was quite acceptable for women to wear such clothes. Rory had said that her aunt Narcissa, Draco's mother, spent most of her time in them as well. It was a Pureblood trait.

Rose wasn't a Pureblood, but hey. It felt and looked good.

To complete the outfit, Hermione had given Rose a pair of low-cut, dark denim jeans. Rose had been assured that it looked fine, but still. It felt foreign, like she was pretending to be someone she wasn't.

Jeans. The very word was foreign to Rose. Hello? Dresses!

Rose approached the kitchen and made a beeline for the third drawer. She gripped the chrome handle and pulled, and the drawer slid open smoothly. Corn-cob holders, aluminium foil, Glad-Wrap, some permanent pens…no lightbulbs. She shut the drawer slowly, mulling it over with a slight frown on her face. If I were a lightbulb, where would I be?

"What are you looking for?"

Rose started, and spun around quickly. She banged her knee on the corner, but ignored it. Petunia appeared out of nowhere, tapping her long fingernails on the polished granite bench top impatiently.

"I, um, was looking for some light bulbs for, ah, Harry's room. He said third drawer, but…" she gestured loosely at the unfruitful drawer.

Petunia regarded her silently for a moment without saying a word. Seeming to come to a conclusion in her own mind, she tilted her head calculatingly. "We're all out," she said evenly. "I'll go buy some more when I go to the shop."

"Okay, great," Rose nodded. She pulled awkwardly at her jumper. "Um, Aunt Petunia…I don't really have enough clothes for three weeks. Dumbledore said I could buy some clothes when I arrived – he gave me money. Could you perhaps take me to the shops sometime?"

Petunia Dursley nodded. "Of course." She paused, thinking. "Actually, I need to go shopping for eleven people this evening…It'll probably take more than one shopping trolley. If I take you this afternoon, and leave earlier than usual, we could go clothes shopping then go for groceries. We might even need another pair of hands – how about that Granger girl? She seems normal enough."

Rose brightened externally, but inside her heart sunk guiltily. Here she was, going for a shopping spree, when poor Harry was cleaning out six-year-old mould! "Yeah, that sounds fantastic!"

Petunia felt a smile threatening to emerge. "We'll go in an hour or so. Yes, we'll have to go clothes shopping first, so that the perishable groceries don't spend too much time in the car." She sighed wearily. "I still have no idea what to cook to keep this mob happy for three weeks."

Rose grinned wryly. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Did you know, Mrs Weasley has to cook for twenty people every meal, minimum?"

Petunia stared back, unimpressed. Rose changed tactics. "Ooo-kay. Uh, I'll go tell Hermione."

"You do that."

Rose offered a weak smile and walked out into the hallway. She could hear voices rising steadily. Hermione's voice was taking on a bossy tone.

"NO! I told you, no, don't- oh, now look, you've got grease all over you."

"It's not my fault! You're the one who wanted to clean behind the pipe as well."

"But I didn't say to open that valve up! You're lucky that wasn't the septic pipe."

"…thank you very much. I'm never going to get that thought out of my head."

"Septic tank leaking on you while you sleep?" Rose asked, kneeling.

"How'd you guess?" Harry answered, rolling his eyes behind his glasses, which were now covered in grease.

"Psychic, remember?" Rose smiled when Harry snorted, and put a hand on his arm. "Harry, you should go upstairs and clean that grease off before Beefy comes home with Beefy Junior." She gave him a shove in the direction of the bathroom. "Just take a break from cleaning until we go shopping and come back with lightbulbs."

Harry shrugged, standing slowly. His back was killing him; it was evident from his stooped shoulders and 'my back is killing me' comment.

"Hey Hermione – I talked to Aunt Petunia and she wants you and me to go shopping with her in an hour. We're going clothes shopping first, and then groceries."

"Oh. Um, okay. How'd I get picked for shopping duty?"

Rose shrugged. "Apparently you're the most normal."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Came a cocky voice from above them. Rose and Hermione looked up to see Draco leaning against the stair banister.

"Whatever, peroxide boy," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Actually, speaking of peroxide, how's Rory going?"

Harry dragged himself into the bathroom with some strong cleaning agents, meeting Aurora at the sink.

"Harry! Whoa, what happened to you?" she cried, eyeing his dishevelled and thoroughly greased appearance.

"Undid a valve under my cupboard that I shouldn't have," he replied wryly. "Although I think I've grown as a person, after that experience."

Aurora grimaced and handed him some soap. "Um, I'm glad?"

They both sat down on the edge of the bathtub, him trying to scrub his right arm clean for a start. Aurora sighed, glaring vehemently at the other side of the room. Harry followed her gaze and found himself looking at a bottle of peroxide.

"I really am sorry about the bleach," he said remorsefully, "but the Dursleys are magic Nazis."

"It's not your fault, Harry. You don't have to apologise. I'm sorry you had to live here for ten solid years."

"Not your fault either," Harry chuckled.

Aurora grinned. She stood and made her way over to the bleach, picking it up disdainfully. "Arrivederci, blue."

"Always a drama queen." Draco shook his head from the doorway. Aurora flicked her hair dangerously.

"Care to come closer and say that?"

"Um, no thanks."

Hermione sashayed past Draco into the bathroom, planting herself in front of the mirror. "Why, Draco? Are you scared?" she teased.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I don't pick fights with girls."

Harry blinked. "Might want to rethink that."

Hermione smirked. "Yeah, I slapped you with style back in third year." She paused, thinking back. Ah, yes. It had been a particularly stressful day, what with Buckbeak and trying to fit in all her classes with the use of her Time-Turner. He had struck a nerve; crossed a line. Something within Hermione had snapped and – SMACK. The rest was history. She sighed, a dreamy look crossing her face.

Aurora tittered, observing Hermione's face. A quick glance told her that Harry was sporting a similar expression. Draco was rolling his eyes.

"But I didn't fight back, you silly girl," he sneered. "I was brought up properly."

Harry's look dissolved as he thought of Lucius Malfoy.

Yeah, _sure_ Draco was brought up properly. Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater, for God's sake! Harry knew all too well that Lucius would have brought up Draco from the very beginning to be a Death Eater when he graduated. Harry's jaw set at an angle. Lucius Malfoy didn't just pick fights with girls. He murdered them, tortured them and did many other things just as unpleasant.

Harry bit his tongue to keep his rage in check. _I don't like Draco Malfoy. Never have, never will. As IF Draco had a proper upbringing!_

Draco, meanwhile, was scratching his head. "Well, there are safety issues as well, when fighting females."

Aurora smiled primly, and wrapped a white towel around her shoulders, combing her wet hair and putting plastic gloves on as Draco continued.

"Like what?" Hermione asked. "Can't be any more dangerous than fighting other boys."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you'd be surprised. First of all, there's the bitch-slapping." He sent Hermione a pointed look.

Harry and Hermione both beamed at each other. "Then," Draco continued, "There's the undeniable fact that girls fight dirty and take cheap shots."

"What?" Hermione said, looking annoyed. "That's stupid, Malfoy, and you know it is."

"Ah, but here is where you're wrong, Granger," Draco said. Harry noted idly that they were back on last-name terms. "When me and Misia – oh, fine, _Rory,_" he snapped irritably at Aurora's embarrassed wince, "-were younger, I discovered that girls fight dirty. It's just dangerous."

"Like what?" Hermione asked scathingly. She felt like her whole gender's honour had been offended. That was a pretty big insult, even coming from Malfoy.

"Girls bite, scratch, kick, hiss, pinch, grab and pull hair," he said wisely. "And Aurora in particular had a tendency to poke eyes."

Everyone's eyes shot to Aurora, who beamed. "Guilty as charged," she said cheerfully. "Come on, Hermione, it's kind of empowering when you come to think of it."

Hermione shrugged. "Whatever."

Harry had remained silent the whole way. _Who does Malfoy think he is? _He thought frostily. _Oh. Right. He thinks he's a Malfoy. Cough-DEATH EATER-cough._

After a while, Hermione drifted away to find Ron, and Draco went off to inspect Dudley's bedroom.

Harry was left alone with Aurora, who had just finished her hair.

"Sheesh! This water is freezing, Harry!"

Harry pulled a face. "Uncle Vernon and Dudley probably had long, hot showers this morning. That might explain it." He folded a towel, putting it on a pile with others. "Either that or the valve I had a run in with earlier was the hot water valve."

He patted the space next to him and Aurora perched on the bathtub edge. He got a dry towel from the stack he was making and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing her back to warm her up.

Harry frowned when he noticed her teeth chattering. He scooted closer to her and she leant in to him, leaning her head on his collarbone.

"You're warm," she smiled, snuggling up. Harry was starting to feel very warm indeed: although she couldn't see, his cheeks were burning. And that wasn't all.

"Maybe it has something to do with being a Fire Elemental," Harry said, trying to stay composed.

"Mmm," replied Aurora. _Or the fact that you're such a hottie…_

"Aren't you, like, impervious to cold water, anyway? I seem to recall you jumping in the lake at Hogwarts in the middle of winter without any problems."

"…maybe."

Harry blinked as she smiled benignly at him, and watched as her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink. He furrowed his brow in thought. _But if she's not really cold, then that's not why she's snuggled up next to me. I wonder why she…OH!_

Aurora smiled, and looked up at him. Those green eyes were sparkling in a way that made her just want to melt. Her heart was trip-hammering wildly, and she was fairly certain that she was going to get high blood pressure when she was older. His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners in a reassuring grin and she felt instantly warmed. He started to lean in…

Ginny wriggled out of Lindsey's grasp and poked him in the ribs playfully. "Oh my Lord. One day out of school, and you're already planning to sneak into a pub. You're underage! Dumbledore would kill us!"

"Aww, come on, Gin. It'd be great! I've got it all sorted out. As soon as the olds go to sleep, we take a rope, some card and some- "

"What, so we can get drunk? You sound like Mundungus!"

That stopped Lindsey dead in his tracks. "I do not."

"Do to."

"Most certainly do not."

"Do to!"

"You'll pay for that!"

Ginny snorted. "As if. I could take you down."

Lindsey's mind was clicking. "With what?"

"With my Bat-Bogey He-" Ginny froze. Hex. Hex, remember? Needed a wand. There was no wand.

The look on Lindsey's face told her he knew that already. He grinned evilly. "I don't need a wand to tickle you…"

Ginny ran.

She was turned into the bathroom to hide behind Aurora when she saw the very girl in question about an inch away from Harry's face. Ginny skidded to a halt, and Lindsey smacked into her from behind.

Aurora was close – so, so close. Just a little further…her lips were an inch away from Harry's, she was almost there. Just as she was closing her eyes, Aurora caught a flash of red in her peripheral vision. Peeking closely, she saw over Harry's shoulder that Ginny was dancing around like a maniac, mouthing frantically at her.

"Hook in! Go!" Ginny was mouthing, waving her arms crazily. Lindsey poked his head in and flashed her a thumbs up, grinning. Aurora saw that they were not going anywhere soon, and reluctantly pulled away from Harry.

Harry felt cool air hit him as she pulled back. Feeling like an idiot, he flushed and ran his hands through his hair, muttering quickly. "Oh, ah, I, um…sorry, I didn't…I didn't think. I shouldn't have, uh, tried to…tried to kiss you. Sorry-"

Aurora looked down at the floor. "Oh, no, I have no problems with you. It's them," she said accusingly, pointing towards the

door.

Harry looked up at Lindsey and Ginny, trying to burn holes in them with a death glare. It half worked: they both cringed a fled, slamming the door. "Oh." Said Harry.

Aurora looked anguished. "I want you to know that I do like you and everything… actually I more than like you, Harry."

Harry suddenly felt like a candle had been lit inside his chest. "Good to know," he breathed in relief.

"It's just that they were trying to egg me on and…" Aurora trailed off, looking miserable and embarrassed.

Harry smiled a crookedly, turning her face to look at him. "You didn't want me to think you only went along kissing because they were telling you to?"

Aurora stared at him, surprised he got it. "Um, yes, actually."

"For the record, I wouldn't have cared." After the confidence boost of knowing that Rory liked him, Harry felt no apprehension in leaning forward and kissing the girl of his dreams long and hard. Aurora had no problems either.

Neither of them noticed, but there was a gasp nearby and suddenly the door flung open from the pressure on it, and in a pile on the floor lay Ginny, Lindsey, Ron, Hermione and Rose. Evidently, it was not the best door to eavesdrop through.

Harry and Aurora leapt apart, and stared in shock as everyone on the ground alternatively groaned and grinned at them.

Draco appeared a few seconds later, and stopped when he saw the group all in the bathroom, looking at each other furtively.

He gazed around, confused, totally unaware of The Kiss.

"What are we all looking at?"

A/N

I think I'd get hurt if I tried excuses, so I'll just cut to the chase and thank everyone who reviewed.

Farfumsane

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And my special people who threatened me every week for not updating, Pez and Alanna. Luv ya guys!


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